UC-NRLF 


B    3    3EM    3M1 


/IOUSE 


IN  MEMORIAL 
Mary  J.    L,    McDonald 


WHAT  THE  REVIEWERS  SAID 

About  the  Novel 

THE  LION  AND  THE  MOUSE 

Novelized  from  Charles  Klein's  great  play 
By  ARTHUR  HORNBLOW 


I"  Mr.  Hornblow  has  done  his  work  with  creditable 
TRIBUNE          aptitude.      He  is  successful  where  success  is  most 
I    important — in  keeping  up  the  reader's  suspense,  in 
working  effectively  toward  the  climax.     The   book 
will  interest  those  who  have  seen  the  play,   and  will  doubtless  send 
others  to  the  theatre." 


I_  "  Mr.  Hornblow  has  made  his  novelization  of  an 

TIMES  enormously  successful  play  in  a  workmanlike  man- 

I     ner.     The  story,  like  the  play,  belongs  to  -this  very 
minute.     It  is  full  of  a  spirit  and  a  feeling  that  are 
m  the  air.      It  deals  with  subjects   which  much  iteration  has  strongly 
impressed  on  the  people,  and  its  point  of  view  is  the  most  obvious.     The 
novel  is  likely  to  liave  an  enormous  sale." 

|-~T! I         "  Undoubtedly  the  book  of  the  hour.     Both  the 

A1IEKICAX   I    novel  and   the  Plav  appeal  to  the  widest  possible 
I    American  public.     The  novelist  gives  more  of  the 
interesting  story  and  has  enhanced  the  virility  and 
the  element  of  suspense  materially.      The  reader's  interest  will  never 
lag  a  moment  from  cover  to  cover." 

The  Lion  and  the  Mouse,'  as  a  novel,  more 
than  maintains  the  reputation  of  its  author  as  a  clean- 
cut  exposition  of  throbbing  American  life  by  a  real 
novelist.  Mr.  Hornblow  knows  his  subject  and  has 


•'Will  become  the  most  talked-of  book  of  the 
year.  ...  As  exciting  and  fascinating  a  narrative 
as  has  appeared  in  novel  form  in  years." 

"  Mr.  Hornblow's  book  is  written  in  distinguished 
English  ;  its  chapters  are  chiselled  to  exact  propor 
tions  ;  its  story  is  clear  and  limpid  ;  particularly  are 
its  characters  cleverly  vivid,  and  with  few  exceptions 
tell  themselves  in  the  dialogue  more,  plainly  than  they  could  with  ever 
so  much  extrinsic  aid  of  psychic  and  physical  description.  The  Ameri 
can  nation  is  indebted  to  him.  He  has  clothed  with  the  vibrant  palpi 
tating  flesh  of  life-interest  the  greatest  economic  problem  and  evil  of  the 
day.  It  is  a  book  to  make  the  multitude  think." 


What  have  you  got  there? 
he  exclaimed.— Page  293. 


Frontispiece. 


THE  LION 
AND  THE  MOUSE 

CHARLES   KLEliji;,  , 
A  Story  of  American  Life 

NOVELIZED    FROM    THE    PLAY    BY 

ARTHUR   HORNBLOW 


* 'Judges  and  Senates  have  been  bought  for  goldj 
Love  and  esteem  have  never  been  sold." 


POPE. 


Illustrations  by 
STUART  TRAVIS 


G.  W.  DILLINGHAM    COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS  NEW  YORK 


COPYRIGHT,  1906,  BY 
G.  W.  DILLINGHAM  COMPANY 

Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London 
Issued  August,  1906 


THE  LION  AND  THE  MOUSE 

IN  MEMOR/AM 


vA        ^ 
0 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Chapter       I •      9 

Chapter      II •     3° 

Chapter    III •      •     53 

Chapter     IV 75 

Chapter      V •      -      •  I01 

Chapter    VI .  122 

Chapter   VII '•    ->;>,•   |-  X49 

Chapter VIII •      •      -  r73 

Chapter     IX .203 

Chapter      X •      -      •      •  227 

Chapter     XI 254 

Chapter  XII     ....      •      •      •      •      •      •  275 

Chapter XIII •'    •      -      •      •  3°i 

Chapter XIV  .  .  .  .  •  •  .-  .  -  •  •  3*5 
Chapter  XV  .  .  .  .  •  ...  •  •  344 
Chapter  XVI  .  .  .  .  - 375 


984452 


The  Lion  and  the  Mouse 

CHAPTER   I 

THERE  was  unwonted  bustle  in  the  usually 
sleepy  and  dignified  New  York  offices  of 
the  Southern  and  Transcontinental  Rail 
road  Company  in  lower  Broadway.  The  supercilious, 
well-groomed  clerks  who,  on  ordinary  days,  are  far 
too  preoccupied  with  their  own  personal  affairs  to 
betray  the  slightest  interest  in  anything  not  imme 
diately  concerning  them,  now  condescended  to  bestir 
themselves  and,  gathered  in  little  groups,  conversed  in 
subdued,  eager  tones.  The  slim,  nervous  fingers  of 
half  a  dozen  haughty  stenographers,  representing  as 
many  different  types  of  business  femininity,  were  bus 
ily  rattling  the  keys  of  clicking  typewriters,  each  of 
their  owners  intent  on  reducing  with  all  possible 
despatch  the  mass  of  letters  which  lay  piled  up  in 
front  of  her.  Through  the  heavy  plate-glass  swing 
ing  doors,  leading  to  the  elevators  and  thence  to  the 
street,  came  and  went  an  army  of  messengers  and 
telegraph  boys,  noisy  and  insolent. 

9 


THE    LION   & 

Through  the  open  windows  the  hoarse  shouting  of 
news-venders,  the  rushing  of  elevated  trains,  the 
clanging  of  street  cars,  with  the  occasional  feverish 
dash  of  an  ambulance — all  these  familiar  noises  of  a 
great  city  had,  trte  : far-away  sound  peculiar  to  top 
floors'  of  the  modern  sky-scraper.  The  day  was  warm 
aiid  sticky,  as  is  not  uncommon  in  early  May,  and  the 
overcast  sky  and  a  distant  rumbling  of  thunder  prom 
ised  rain  before  night. 

The  big  express  elevators,  running  smoothly  and 
swiftly,  unloaded  every  few  moments  a  number  of 
prosperous-looking  men  who,  chatting  volubly  and 
affably,  made  their  way  immediately  through  the 
outer  offices  towards  another  and  larger  inner  office 
on  the  glass  door  of  which  was  the  legend  "  Directors 
Room.  Private."  Each  comer  gave  a  patronizing  nod 
in  recognition  of  the  deferential  salutation  of  the 
clerks.  Earlier  arrivals  had  preceded  them,  and  as 
they  opened  the  door  there  issued  from  the  Directors 
Room  a  confused  murmur  of  voices,  each  different 
in  pitch  and  tone,  some  deep  and  deliberate,  others 
shrill  and  nervous,  but  all  talking  earnestly  and  with 
animation  as  men  do  when  the  subject  under  dis 
cussion  is  of  common  interest.  Now  and  again  a 
voice  was  heard  high  above  the  others,  denoting 
anger  in  the  speaker,  followed  by  the  pleading  accents 

10 


THE   MOUSE 

of  the  peace-maker,  who  was  arguing  his  irate  col 
league  into  calmness.  At  intervals  the  door  opened 
to  admit  other  arrivals,  and  through  the  crack  was 
caught  a  glimpse  of  a  dozen  directors,  some  seated, 
some  standing  near  a  long  table  covered  with  green 
baize. 

It  was  the  regular  quarterly  meeting  of  the  direc 
tors  of  the  Southern  and  Transcontinental  Railroad 
Company,  but  it  was  something  mpre  than  mere 
routine  that  had  called  out  a  quorum  of  such  strength 
and  which  made  to-day's  gathering  one  of  extraordi 
nary  importance  in  the  history  of  the  road.  That  the 
business  on  hand  was  of  the  greatest  significance 
was  easily  to  be  inferred  from  the  concerned  and  anx 
ious  expression  on  the  directors'  faces  and  the  eager 
ness  of  the  employes  as  they  plied  each  other  with 
questions. 

"Suppose  the  injunction  is  sustained?"  asked  a 
clerk  in  a  whisper.  "  Is  not  the  road  rich  enough  to 
bear  the  loss?" 

The  man  he  addressed  turned  impatiently  to  the 
questioner : 

"That's  all  you  know  about  railroading.  Don't 
you  understand  that  this  suit  we  have  lost  will  be 
the  entering  wedge  for  hundreds  of  others.  The  very 
existence  of  the  road  may  be  at  stake.  And  between 

II 


THE   LION  & 

you  and  me,"  he  added  in  a  lower  key,  "  with  Judge 
Rossmore  on  the  bench  we  never  stood  much  show. 
It's  Judge  Rossmore  that  scares  'em,  not  the  injunc 
tion.  They've  found  it  easy  to  corrupt  most  of  the 
Supreme  Court  judges,  but  Judge  Rossmore  is  one 
too  many  for  them.  You  could  no  more  bribe  him 
than  you  could  have  bribed  Abraham  Lincoln." 

"  But  the  newspapers  say  that  he,  too,  has  been 
caught  accepting  $50,000  worth  of  stock  for  that  de 
cision  he  rendered  in  the  Great  Northwestern  case." 

"  Lies !  All  those  stories  are  lies,"  replied  the  other 
emphatically.  Then  looking  cautiously  around  to  make 
sure  no  one  overheard  he  added  contemptuously,  "  The 
big  interests  fear  him,  and  they're  inventing  these  lies 
to  try  and  injure  him.  They  might  as  well  try  to  blow 
up  Gibraltar.  The  fact  is  the  public  is  seriously 
aroused  this  time  and  the  railroads  are  in  a  panic." 

It  was  true.  The  railroad,  which  heretofore  had 
considered  itself  superior  to  law,  had  found  itself 
checked  in  its  career  of  outlawry  and  oppression. 
The  railroad,  this  modern  octopus  of  steam  and  steel 
which  stretches  its  greedy  tentacles  out  over  the  land, 
had  at  last  been  brought  to  book. 

At  first,  when  the  country  was  in  the  earlier  stages 
of  its  development,  the  railroad  appeared  in  the  guise 
of  a  public  benefactor.  It  brought  to  the  markets  of 

12 


THE   MOUSE 

the  East  the  produce  of  the  South  and  West.  It 
opened  up  new  and  inaccessible  territory  and  made 
oases  of  waste  places.  It  brought  to  the  city  coal, 
lumber,  food  and  other  prime  necessaries  of  life,  tak 
ing  back  to  the  farmer  and  the  woodsman  in  ex 
change,  clothes  and  other  manufactured  goods.  Thus, 
little  by  little,  the  railroad  wormed  itself  into  the 
affections  of  the  people  and  gradually  became  an 
indispensable  part  of  the  life  it  had  itself  created. 
Tear  up  the  railroad  and  life  itself  is  extinguished. 
So  when  the  railroad  found  it  could  not  be  dispensed 
with,  it  grew  dissatisfied  with  the  size  of  its  earnings. 
Legitimate  profits  were  not  enough.  Its  directors 
cried  out  for  bigger  dividends,  and  from  then  on  the 
railroad  became  a  conscienceless  tyrant,  fawning  on 
those  it  feared  and  crushing  without  mercy  those  who 
were  defenceless.  It  raised  its  rates  for  hauling 
freight,  discriminating  against  certain  localities  with 
out  reason  or  justice,  and  favouring  other  points  where 
its  own  interests  lay.  By  corrupting  government  offi 
cials  and  other  unlawful  methods  it  appropriated 
lands,  and  there  was  no  escape  from  its  exactions  and 
brigandage.  Other  roads  were  built,  and  for  a  brief 
period  there  was  held  out  the  hope  of  relief  that  in 
variably  comes  from  honest  competition.  But  the  rail 
road  either  absorbed  its  rivals  or  pooled  interests  with 

13 


THE   LION  & 

them,  and  thereafter  there  were  several  masters  in 
stead  of  one. 

Soon  the  railroads  began  to  war  among  themselves, 
and  in  a  mad  scramble  to  secure  business  at  any  price 
they  cut  each  other's  rates  and  unlawfully  entered  into 
secret  compacts  with  certain  big  shippers,  permitting 
the  latter  to  enjoy  lower  freight  rates  than  their  com 
petitors.  The  smaller  shippers  were  soon  crushed  out 
of  existence  in  this  way.  Competition  was  throttled 
and  prices  went  up,  making  the  railroad  barons  richer 
and  the  people  poorer.  That  was  the  beginning  of 
the  giant  Trusts,  the  greatest  evil  American  civiliza 
tion  has  yet  produced,  and  one  which,  unless  checked, 
will  inevitably  drag  this  country  into  the  throes  of 
civil  strife. 

From  out  this  quagmire  of  corruption  and  rascality 
emerged  the  Colossus,  a  man  so  stupendously  rich 
and  with  such  unlimited  powers  for  evil  that  the  world 
has  never  looked  upon  his  like.  The  famous  Croesus, 
whose  fortune  was  estimated  at  only  eight  millions 
in  our  money,  was  a  pauper  compared  with  John 
Burkett  Ryder,  whose  holdings  no  man  could  count, 
but  which  were  approximately  estimated  at  a  thousand 
millions  of  dollars.  The  railroads  had  created  the 
Trust,  the  ogre  of  corporate  greed,  of  which  Ryder 
was  the  incarnation,  and  in  time  the  Trust  became 


THE   MOUSE 

master  of  the  railroads,  which  after  all  seemed  but 
retributive  justice. 

John  Burkett  Ryder,  the  richest  man  in  the  world — 
the  man  whose  name  had  spread  to  the  farthest  cor 
ners  of  the  earth  because  of  his  wealth,  and  whose 
money,  instead  of  being  a  blessing,  promised  to  be 
come  not  only  a  curse  to  himself  but  a  source  of  dire 
peril  to  all  mankind — was  a  genius  born  of  the  railroad 
age.  No  other  age  could  have  brought  him  forth ;  his 
peculiar  talents  fitted  exactly  the  conditions  of  his 
time.  Attracted  early  in  life  to  the  newly  discovered 
oil  fields  of  Pennsylvania,  he  became  a  dealer  in  the 
raw  product  and  later  a  refiner,  acquiring  with  capital, 
laboriously  saved,  first  one  refinery,  then  another. 
The  railroads  were  cutting  each  other's  throats  to 
secure  the  freight  business  of  the  oil  men,  and  John 
Burkett  Ryder  saw  his  opportunity.  He  made  secret 
overtures  to  the  road,  guaranteeing  a  vast  amount  of 
business  if  he  could  get  exceptionally  low  rates,  and 
the  illegal  compact  was  made.  His  competitors,  un 
dersold  in  the  market,  stood  no  chance,  and  one  by  one 
they  were  crushed  out  of  existence.  Ryder  called 
these  manoeuvres  "  business  " ;  the  world  called  them 
brigandage.  But  the  Colossus  prospered  and  slowly 
built  up  the  foundations  of  the  extraordinary  fortune 
which  is  the  talk  and  the  wonder  of  the  world  to-day. 

15 


THE   LION  & 

Master  now  of  the  oil  situation,  Ryder  succeeded  in 
his  ambition  of  organizing  the  Empire  Trading  Com 
pany,  the  most  powerful,  the  most  secretive,  and  the 
most  wealthy  business  institution  the  commercial 
world  has  yet  known. 

Yet  with  all  this  success  John  Burkett  Ryder  was 
still  not  content.  He  was  now  a  rich  man,  richer  by 
many  millions  that  he  had  dreamed  he  could  ever  be, 
but  still  he  was  unsatisfied.  He  became  money  mad. 
He  wanted  to  be  richer  still,  to  be  the  richest  man  in 
the  world,  the  richest  man  the  world  had  ever  known. 
And  the  richer  he  got  the  stronger  the  idea  grew 
upon  him  with  all  the  force  of  a  morbid  obsession. 
He  thought  of  money  by  day,  he  dreamt  of  it  at 
night.  No  matter  by  what  questionable  device  it  was 
to  be  procured,  more  gold  and  more  must  flow  into 
his  already  overflowing  coffers.  So  each  day,  instead 
of  spending  the  rest  of  his  years  in  peace,  in  the 
enjoyment  of  the  wealth  he 'had  accumulated,  he  went 
downtown  like  any  twenty-dollar-a-week  clerk  to  the 
tall  building  in  lower  Broadway  and,  closeted  with  his 
associates,  toiled  and  plotted  to  make  more  money, 

He  acquired  vast  copper  mines  and  secured  control 
of  this  and  that  railroad.  He  had  invested  heavily 
in  the  Southern  and  Transcontinental  road  and  was 
chairman  of  its  board  of  directors.  Then  he  and  his 

16 


THE   MOUSE 

fellow-conspirators  planned  a  great  financial  coup. 
The  millions  were  not  coming  in  fast  enough.  They 
must  make  a  hundred  millions  at  one  stroke.  They 
floated  a  great  mining  company  to  which  the  public 
was  invited  to  subscribe.  The  scheme  having  the  en 
dorsement  of  the  Empire  Trading  Company  no  one 
suspected  a  snare,  and  such  was  the  magic  of  John  Ry 
der's  name  that  gold  flowed  in  from  every  point  of 
the  compass.  The  stock  sold  away  above  par  the 
day  it  was  issued.  Men  deemed  themselves  fortunate 
if  they  were  even  granted  an  allotment.  What  matter 
if,  a  few  days  later,  the  house  of  cards  came  tumbling 
down,  and  a  dozen  suicides  were  strewn  along  Wall 
Street,  that  sinister  thoroughfare  which,  as  a  wit  has 
said,  has  a  graveyard  at  one  end  and  the  river  at  the 
other!  Had  Ryder  any  twinges  of  conscience? 
Hardly.  Had  he  not  made  a  cool  twenty  millions  by 
the  deal? 

Yet  this  commercial  pirate,  this  Napoleon  of  finance, 
was  not  a  wholly  bad  man.  He  had  his  redeeming 
qualities,  like  most  bad  men.  His  most  pronounced 
weakness,  and  the  one  that  had  made  him  the  most 
conspicuous  man  of  his  time,  was  an  entire  lack  of 
moral  principle.  No  honest  or  honourable  man  could 
have  amassed  such  stupendous  wealth.  In  other 
words,  John  Ryder  had  not  been  equipped  by  Nature 

17 


THE  LION  & 

with  a  conscience.  He  had  no  sense  of  fight,  or 
wrong,  or  justice  where  his  own  interests  were  con 
cerned.  He  was  the  prince  of  egoists.  On  the  other 
hand,  he  possessed  qualities  which,  with  some  people, 
count  as  virtues.  He  was  pious  and  regular  in  his  at 
tendance  at  church  and,  while  he  had  done  but  little 
for  charity,  he  was  known  to  have  encouraged  the 
giving  of  alms  by  the  members  of  his  family,  which 
consisted  of  a  wife,  whose  timid  voice  was  rarely 
heard,  and  a  son  Jefferson,  who  was  the  destined  suc 
cessor  to  his  gigantic  estate. 

Such  was  the  man  who  was  the  real  power  behind 
the  Southern  and  Transcontinental  Railroad.  More 
than  anyone  else  Ryder  had  been  aroused  by  the  pres 
ent  legal  action,  not  so  much  for  the  money  interest 
at  stake  as  that  any  one  should  dare  to  thwart  his 
will.  It  had  been  a  pet  scheme  of  his,  this  purchase 
for  a  song,  when  the  land  was  cheap,  of  some  thou 
sand  acres  along  the  line,  and  it  is  true  that  at  the 
time  of  the  purchase  there,  had  been  some  idea  of 
laying  the  land  out  as  a  park.  But  real  estate  values 
had  increased  in  astonishing  fashion,  the  road  could 
no  longer  afford  to  carry  out  the  original  scheme,  and 
had  attempted  to  dispose  of  the  property  for  building 
purposes,  including  a  right  of  way  for  a  branch  road. 
The  news,  made  public  in  the  newspapers,  had  raised 

18 


THE  MOUSE 

a  storm  of  protest.  The  people  in  the  vicinity  claimed 
that  the  railroad  secured  the  land  on  the  express  con 
dition  of  a  park  being  laid  out,  and  in  order  to  make 
a  legal  test  they  had  secured  an  injunction,  which  had 
been  sustained  by  Judge  Rossmore  of  the  United 
States  Circuit  Court. 

These  details  were  hastily  told  and  re-told  by  one 
clerk  to  another  as  the  babel  of  voices  in  the  inner 
room  grew  louder,  and  more  directors  kept  arriving 
from  the  ever-busy  elevators.  The  meeting  was  called 
for  three  o'clock.  Another  five  minutes  and  the  chair 
man  would  rap  for  order.  A  tall,  strongly  built  man 
with  white  moustache  and  kindly  smile  emerged  from 
the  directors  room  and,  addressing  one  of  the  clerks, 
asked : 

"Has  Mr.  Ryder  arrived  yet?" 

The  alacrity  with  which  the  employe  hastened  for 
ward  to  reply  would  indicate  that  his  interlocutor 
was  a  person  of  more  than  ordinary  importance. 

"  No,  Senator,  not  yet.  We  expect  him  any  min 
ute."  Then  with  a  deferential  smile  he  added :  "  Mr. 
Ryder  usually  arrives  on  the  stroke,  sir." 

The  senator  gave  a  nod  of  acquiescence  and,  turning 
on  his  heel,  greeted  with  a  grasp  of  the  hand  and 
affable  smile  his  fellow-directors  as  they  passed  in  by 
twos  and  threes. 

19 


THE   LION  & 

Senator  Roberts  was  in  the  world  of  politics  what 
his  friend  John  Burkett  Ryder  was  in  the  world  of 
finance— a  leader  of  men.  He  started  life  in  Wisconsin 
as  an  errand  boy,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
and  later  became  clerk  in  a  dry-goods  store,  finally 
going  into  business  for  his  own  account  on  a  large 
scale.  He  was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  where  his 
ability  as  an  organizer  soon  gained  the  friendship  of 
the  men  in  power,  and  later  was  sent  to  Congress, 
where  he  was  quickly  initiated  in  the  game  of  corrupt 
politics.  In  1885  he  entered  the  United  States  Senate. 
He  soon  became  the  acknowledged  leader  of  a  con 
siderable  majority  of  the  Republican  senators,  and 
from  then  on  he  was  a  figure  to  be  reckoned  with.  A 
very  ambitious  man,  with  a  great  love  of  power  and 
few  scruples,  it  is  little  wonder  that  only  the  practical 
or  dishonest  side  of  politics  appealed  to  him.  He  was 
in  politics  for  all  there  was  in  it,  and  he  saw  in  his 
lofty  position  only  a  splendid  opportunity  for  easy 

graft. 

He  did  not  hesitate  to  make  such  alliances  with 
corporate  interests  seeking  influence  at  Washing 
ton  as  would  enable  him  to  accomplish  this  purpose, 
and  in  this  way  he  had  met  and  formed  a  strong 
friendship  with  John  Burkett  Ryder.  Each  being  a 
master  in  his  own  field  was  useful  to  the  other. 

20 


THE   MOUSE 

Neither  was  troubled  with  qualms  of  conscience,  so 
they  never  quarrelled.  If  the  Ryder  interests  needed 
anything  in  the  Senate,  Roberts  and  his  followers 
were  there  to  attend  to  it.  Just  now  the  cohort  was 
marshalled  in  defence  of  the  railroads  against  the 
attacks  of  the  new  Rebate  bill.  In  fact,  Ryder  man 
aged  to  keep  the  Senate  busy  all  the  time.  When, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  senators  wanted  anything — and 
they  often  did — Ryder  saw  that  they  got  it,  lower 
rates  for  this  one,  a  fat  job  for  that  one,  not  forgetting 
themselves.  Senator  Roberts  was  already  a  very  rich 
man,  and  although  the  world  often  wondered  where  he 
got  it,  no  one  had  the  courage  to  ask  him. 

But  the  Republican  leader  was  stirred  with  an  am 
bition  greater  than  that  of  controlling  a  majority 
in  the  Senate.  He  had  a  daughter,  a  marriageable 
young  woman  who,  at  least  in  her  father's  opinion, 
would  make  a  desirable  wife  for  any  man.  His 
friend  Ryder  had  a  son,  and  this  son  was  the  only  heir 
to  the  greatest  fortune  ever  amassed  by  one  man,  a 
fortune  which,  at  its  present  rate  of  increase,  by  the 
time  the  father  died  and  the  young  couple  were  ready 
to  inherit,  would  probably  amount  to  over  six  billions 
of  dollars.  Could  the  human  mind  grasp  the  possi 
bilities  of  such  a  colossal  fortune?  It  staggered  the 
imagination.  Its  owner,  or  the  man  who  controlled 

21 


THE  LION  & 

it,  would  be  master  of  the  world!  Was  not  this  a 
prize  any  man  might  well  set  himself  out  to  win? 
The  senator  was  thinking  of  it  now  as  he  stood 
exchanging  banal  remarks  with  the  men  who 
accosted  him.  If  he  could  only  bring  off  that 
marriage  he  would  be  content.  The  ambition  of 
his  life  would  be  attained.  There  was  no  difficulty  as 
far  as  John  Ryder  was  concerned.  He  favoured  the 
match  and  had  often  spoken  of  it.  Indeed,  Ryder 
desired  it,  for  such  an  alliance  would  naturally  further 
his  business  interests  in  every  way.  Roberts  knew  that 
his  daughter  Kate  had  more  than  a  liking  for  Ryder's 
handsome  young  son.  Moreover,  Kate  was  practical, 
like  her  father,  and  had  sense  enough  to  realize  what 
it  would  mean  to  be  the  mistress  of  the  Ryder  fortune. 
No,  Kate  was  all  right,  but  there  was  young  Ryder 
to  reckon  with.  It  would  take  two  in  this  case  to 
make  a  bargain. 

Jefferson  Ryder  was,  in  truth,  an  entirely  different 
man  from  his  father.  It  was  difficult  to  realize  that 
both  had  sprung  from  the  same  stock.  A  college-bred 
boy  with  all  the  advantages  his  father's  wealth  could 
give  him,  he  had  inherited  from  the  parent  only  those 
characteristics  which  would  have  made  him  successful 
even  if  born  poor — activity,  pluck,  application,  dogged 
obstinacy,  alert  mentality.  To  these  qualities  he 

22 


THE   MOUSE 

added  what  his  father  sorely  lacked — :a  high  notion 
of  honour,  a  keen  sense  of  right  and  wrong.  He  had 
the  honest  man's  contempt  for  meanness  of  any  de 
scription,  and  he  had  little  patience  with  the  lax  so- 
called  business  morals  of  the  day.  For  him  a  dis 
honourable  or  dishonest  action  could  have  no  apologist, 
and  he  could  see  no  difference  between  the  crime  of 
the  hungry  wretch  who  stole  a  loaf  of  bread  and  the 
coal  baron  who  systematically  robbed  both  his  em 
ployes  and  the  public.  In  fact,  had  he  been  on  the 
bench  he  would  probably  have  acquitted  the  human 
derelict  who,  in  despair,  had  appropriated  the  prime 
necessary  of  life,  and  sent  the  over-fed,  conscienceless 
coal  baron  to  jail. 

"  Do  unto  others  as  you  would  have  others  do  unto 
you."  This  simple  and  fundamental  axiom  Jefferson 
Ryder  had  adopted  early  in  life,  and  it  had  become  his 
religion — the  only  one,  in  fact,  that  he  had.  He  was 
never  pious  like  his  father,  a  fact  much  regretted  by  his 
mother,  who  could  see  nothing  but  eternal  damnation 
in  store  for  her  son  because  he  never  went  to  church 
and  professed  no  orthodox  creed.  She  knew  him  to  be 
a  good  lad,  but  to  her  simple  mind  a  conduct  of  life 
based  merely  on  a  system  of  moral  philosophy  was 
the  worst  kind  of  paganism.  There  could,  she  argued, 
be  no  religion,  and  assuredly  no  salvation,  outside  the 

23 


THE   LION  & 

dogmatic  teachings  of  the  Church.  But  otherwise 
Jefferson  was  a  model  son  and,  with  the  exception 
of  this  bad  habit  of  thinking  for  himself  on  religious 
matters,  really  gave  her  no  anxiety.  When  Jefferson 
left  college,  his  father  took  him  into  the  Empire  Trad 
ing  Company  with  the  idea  of  his  eventually  succeed 
ing  him  as  head  of  the  concern,  but  the  different  views 
held  by  father  and  son  on  almost  every  subject  soon 
led  to  stormy  scenes  that  made  the  continuation  of  the 
arrangement  impossible.  Senator  Roberts  was  well 
aware  of  these  unfortunate  independent  tendencies  in 
John  Ryder's  son,  and  while  he  devoutly  desired  the 
consummation  of  Jefferson's  union  with  his  daughter, 
he  quite  realized  that  the  young  man  was  a  nut  which 
was  going  to  be  exceedingly  hard  to  crack. 
"  Hello,  senator,  you're  always  on  time !  " 
Disturbed  in  his  reflections,  Senator  Roberts  looked 
up  and  saw  the  extended  hand  of  a  red-faced,  cor 
pulent  man,  one  of  the  directors.  He  was  no  favourite 
with  the  senator,  but  the  latter  was  too  keen  a  man 
of  the  world  to  make  enemies  uselessly,  so  he  con 
descended  to  place  two  ringers  in  the  outstretched 
fat  palm. 

"  How  are  you,  Mr.  Grimsby  ?  Well,  what  are  we 
going  to  do  about  this  injunction?  The  case  has 
gone  against  us.  I  knew  Judge  Rossmore's  decision 

24 


THE   MOUSE 

would  be  for  the  other  side.    Public  opinion  is  aroused. 
The  press- 
Mr.  Grimsby's  red  face  grew  more  apoplectic  as  he 
blurted  out: 

"  Public  opinion  and  the  press  be  d d.     Who 

cares  for  public  opinion?  What  is  public  opinion, 
anyhow?  This  road  can  manage  its  own  affairs  or 
it  can't.  If  it  can't  I  for  one  quit  railroading.  The 
press !  Pshaw  !  It's  all  graft,  I  tell  you.  It's  nothing 
but  a  strike !  I  never  knew  one  of  these  virtuous 
outbursts  that  wasn't.  First  the  newspapers  bark 
ferociously  to  advertise  themselves ;  then  they  crawl 
round  and  whine  like  a  cur.  And  it  usually  costs 
something  to  fix  matters." 

The  senator  smiled  grimly. 

"  No,  no,  Grimsby — not  this  time.  It's  more  serious 
than  that.  Hitherto  the  road  has  been  unusually 
lucky  in  its  bench  decisions " 

The  senator  gave  a  covert  glance  round  to  see  if 
any  long  ears  were  listening.  Then  he  added: 

"  We'  can't  expect  always  to  get  a  favourable  de 
cision  like  that  in  the  Cartwright  case,  when  franchise 
rights  valued  at  nearly  five  millions  were  at  stake. 
Judge  Stollmann  proved  himself  a  true  friend  in  that 
affair." 

Grimsby  made  a  wry  grimace  as  he  retorted: 
25 


THE   LION   & 

Yes,  and  it  was  worth  it  to  him.  A  Supreme  Court 
judge  don't  get  a  cheque  for  $20,000  every  day. 
That  represents  two  years'  pay." 

"  It  might  represent  two  years  in  jail  if  it  were 
found  out,"  said  the  senator  with  a  forced  laugh. 

Grimsby  saw  an  opportunity,  and  he  could  not  resist 
the  temptation.  Bluntly  he  said: 

"  As  far  as  jail's  concerned,  others  might  be  getting 
their  deserts  there  too." 

The  senator  looked  keenly  at  Grimsby  from  under 
his  white  eyebrows.  Then  in  a  calm,  decisive  tone  he 
replied : 

"  It's  no  question  of  a  cheque  this  time.  The  road 
could  not  buy  Judge  Rossmore  with  $200,000.  He 
is  absolutely  unapproachable  in  that  way." 

The  apoplectic  face  of  Mr.  Grimsby  looked  in 
credulous. 

It  was  hard  for  these  men  who  plotted  in  the  dark, 
and  cheated  the  widow  and  the  orphan  for  love  of 
the  dollar,  to  understand  that  there  were  in  the  world, 
breathing  the  same  air  as  they,  men  who  put  honour, 
truth  and  justice  above  mere  money-getting.  With  a 
slight  tinge  of  sarcasm  he  asked: 

"  Is  there  any  man  in  our  public  life  who  is  unap 
proachable  from  some  direction  or  other?" 

"  Yes,  Judge  Rossmore  is  such  a  man.  He  is  one 
26 


THE   MOUSE 

of  the  few  men  in  American  public  life  who  takes  his 
duties  seriously.  In  the  strictest  sense  of  the  term,  he 
serves  his  country  instead  of  serving  himself.  I  am 
no  friend  of  his,  but  I  must  do  him  that  justice." 

He  spoke  sharply,  in  an  irritated  tone,  as  if  resent 
ing  the  insinuation  of  this  vulgarian  that  every  man 
in  public  life  had  his  price.  Roberts  knew  that  the 
charge  was  true  as  far  as  he  and  the  men  he  consorted 
with  were  concerned,  but  sometimes  the  truth  hurts. 
That  was  why  he  had  for  a  moment  seemed  to  cham 
pion  Judge  Rossmore,  which,  seeing  that  the  judge 
himself  was  at  that  very  moment  under  a  cloud,  was 
an  absurd  thing  for  him  to  do. 

He  had  known  Rossmore  years  before  when  the 
latter  was  a  city  magistrate  in  New  York.  That  was 
before  he,  Roberts,  had  become  a  political  grafter 
and  when  the  decent  things  in  life  still  appealed  to 
him.  The  two  men,  although  having  few  interests  in 
common,  had  seen  a  good  deal  of  one  another  until 
Roberts  went  to  Washington  when  their  relations 
were  completely  severed.  But  he  had  always  watched 
Rossmore's  career,  and  when  he  was  made  a  judge 
of  the  Supreme  Court  at  a  comparatively  early  age 
he  was  sincerely  glad.  If  anything  could  have  con 
vinced  Roberts  that  success  can  come  in  public  life 
to  a  man  who  pursues  it  by  honest  methods  it  was  the 

27 


THE  LION  & 

success  of  James  Rossmore.  He  could  never  help  feel 
ing  that  Rossmore  had  been  endowed  by  Nature  with 
certain  qualities  which  had  been  denied  to  him,  above 
all  that  ability  to  walk  straight  through  life  with  skirts 
clean  which  he  had  found  impossible  himself.  To 
day  Judge  Rossmore  was  one  of  the  most  celebrated 
judges  in  the  country.  He  was  a  brilliant  jurist  and 
a  splendid  after-dinner  speaker.  He  was  considered 
the  most  learned  and  able  of  all  the  members  of  the 
judiciary,  and  his  decisions  were  noted  as  much  for 
their  fearlessness  as  for  their  wisdom.  But  what  was 
far  more,  he  enjoyed  a  reputation  for  absolute  integ 
rity.  Until  now  no  breath  of  slander,  no  suspicion  of 
corruption,  had  ever  touched  him.  Even  his  enemies 
acknowledged  that.  And  that  is  why  there  was  a  panic 
to-day  among  the  directors  of  the  Southern  and  Trans 
continental  Railroad.  This  honest,  upright  man  had 
been  called  upon  in  the  course  of  his  duty  to  decide 
matters  of  vital  importance  to  the  road,  and  the  direc 
tors  were  ready  to  stampede  because,  in  their  hearts, 
they  knew  the  weakness  of  their  case  and  the  strength 
of  the  judge. 

Grimsby,  unconvinced,  returned  to  the  charge. 

"  What  about  these  newspaper  charges  ?  Did  Judge 
Rossmore  take  a  bribe  from  the  Great  Northwestern 
or  didn't  he?  You  ought  to  know." 

28 


THE   MOUSE 

"  I  do  know,"  answered  the  senator  cautiously  and 
somewhat  curtly,  "  but  until  Mr.  Ryder  arrives  I  can 
say  nothing.  I  believe  he  has  been  inquiring  into  the 
matter.  He  will  tell  us  when  he  comes." 

The  hands  of  the  large  clock  in  the  outer  room 
pointed  to  three.  An  active,  dapper  little  man  with 
glasses  and  with  books  under  his  arm  passed  hurriedly 
from  another  office  into  the  directors  room. 

"There  goes  Mr.  Lane  with  the  minutes.  The 
meeting  is  called.  Where's  Mr.  Ryder?" 

There  was  a  general  move  of  the  scattered  groups 
of  directors  toward  the  committee  room.  The  clock 
overhead  began  to  strike.  The  last  stroke  had  not 
quite  died  away  when  the  big  swinging  doors  from 
the  street  were  thrown  open  and  there  entered  a  tall, 
thin  man,  gray-headed,  and  with  a  slight  stoop,  but 
keen  eyed  and  alert.  He  was  carefully  dressed  in  a 
well-fitting  frock  coat,  white  waistcoat,  black  tie  and 
silk  hat. 

It  was  John  Burkett  Ryder,  the  Colossus. 


THE  LION  & 


CHAPTER   II 

AT  fifty-six,  John  Burkett  Ryder  was  surpris 
ingly  well  preserved.     With  the  exception  of 
the  slight  stoop,  already  noted,  and  the  rap 
idly  thinning  snow-white  hair,  his  step  was  as  light 
and  elastic,  and  his  brain  as  vigorous  and  alert,  as  in 
a  man  of  forty.     Of  old  English  stock,  his  physical 
make-up  presented  all  those  strongly  marked  charac 
teristics  of  our  race  which,  sprung  from  Anglo-Saxon 
ancestry,  but  modified  by  nearly  300  years  of  different 
climate  and  customs,  has  gradually  produced  the  dis 
tinct  and  true  American  type,  as  easily  recognizable 
among  the  family  of  nations  as  any  other  of  the  earth's 
children.       Tall     and     distinguished-looking,     Ryder 
would  have  attracted  attention  anywhere.     Men  who 
have  accomplished  much  in  life  usually  bear  plainly 
upon  their  persons  the  indefinable  stamp  of  achieve 
ment,  whether  of  good  or  evil,  which  renders  them 
conspicuous  among  their  fellows.  We  turn  after  a  man 
in  the  street  and  ask,  Who  is  he  ?    And  nine  times  out 
of  ten  the  object  of  our  curiosity  is  a  man  who  has 
made  his  mark— a  successful  soldier,  a  famous  sailor, 

30 


THE  MOUSE 

a  celebrated  author,  a  distinguishe'd  lawyer,  or  even 
a  notorious  crook. 

There  was  certainly  nothing  in  John  Ryder's  out 
ward  appearance  to  justify  Lombroso's  sensational 
description  of  him :  "  A  social  and  physiological  freak, 
a  degenerate  and  a  prodigy  of  turpitude  who,  in  the 
pursuit  of  money,  crushes  with  the  insensibility  of  a 
steel  machine  everyone  who  stands  in  his  way."  On 
the  contrary,  Ryder,  outwardly  at  least,  was  a  pre 
possessing-looking  man.  His  head  was  well-shaped, 
and  he  had  an  intellectual  brow,  while  power  was  ex 
pressed  in  every  gesture  of  his  hands  and  body.  Every 
inch  of  him  suggested  strength  and  resourcefulness. 
His  face,  when  in  good  humour,  frequently  expanded 
in  a  pleasant  smile,  and  he  had  even  been  known  to 
laugh  boisterously,  usually  at  his  own  stories,  which 
he  rightly  considered  very  droll,  and  of  which  he  pos 
sessed  a  goodly  stock.  But  in  repose  his  face  grew 
stern  and  forbidding,  and  when  his  prognathous  jaw, 
indicative  of  will-power  and  bull-dog  tenacity,  snapped 
to  with  a  click-like  sound,  those  who  heard  it  knew 
that  squalls  were  coming. 

But  it  was  John  Ryder's  eyes  that  were  regarded 
as  the  most  reliable  barometer  of  his  mental  condition. 
Wonderful  eyes  they  were,  strangely  eloquent  and  ex 
pressive,  and  their  most  singular  feature  was  that  they 


THE    LION  & 

possessed  the  uncanny  power  of  changing  colour  like 
a  cat's.  When  their  owner  was  at  peace  with  the 
world,  and  had  temporarily  shaken  off  the  cares  of 
business,  his  eyes  were  of  the  most  restful,  beautiful 
blue,  like  the  sky  after  sunrise  on  a  Spring  morning, 
and  looking  into  their  serene  depths  it  seemed  absurd 
to  think  that  this  man  could  ever  harm  a  fly.  His 
face,  while  under  the  spell  of  this  kindly  mood,  was 
so  benevolent  and  gentle,  so  frank  and  honest  that 
you  felt  there  was  nothing  in  the  world — purse,  honour, 
wife,  child — that,  if  needs  be,  you  would  not  entrust 
to  his  keeping. 

When  this  period  of  truce  was  ended,  when  the 
plutocrat  was  once  more  absorbed  in  controlling  the 
political  as  well  as  the  commercial  machinery  of  the 
nation,  then  his  eyes  took  on  a  snakish,  greenish  hue, 
and  one  could  plainly  read  in  them  the  cunning,  the 
avariciousness,  the  meanness,  the  insatiable  thirst  for 
gain  that  had  made  this  man  the  most  unscrupulous 
money-getter  of  his  time.  But  his  eyes  had  still  an 
other  colour,  and  when  this  last  transformation  took 
place  those  dependent  on  him,  and  even  his  friends,, 
quaked  with  fear.  For  they  were  his  eyes  of  anger. 
On  these  dreaded  occasions  his  eyes  grew  black  as 
darkest  night  and  flashed  fire  as  lightning  rends  the 
thundercloud.  Almost  ungovernable  fury  was,  in 

32 


THE   MOUSE 

deed,  the  weakest  spot  in  John  Ryder's  armour,  for 
in  these  moments  of  appalling  wrath  he  was  reckless 
of  what  he  said  or  did,  friendship,  self-interest,  pru 
dence — all  were  sacrificed. 

Such  was  the  Colossus  on  whom  all  eyes  were 
turned  as  he  entered.  Instantly  the  conversations, 
stopped  as  by  magic.  The  directors  nudged  each 
other  and  whispered.  Instinctively,  Ryder  singled  out 
his  crony,  Senator  Roberts,  who  advanced  with  effu 
sive  gesture: 

"Hello,   Senator!" 

"  You're  punctual  as  usual,  Mr.  Ryder.  I  never 
knew  you  to  be  late !  " 

The  great  man  chuckled,  and  the  little  men  standing 
around,  listening  breathlessly,  chuckled  in  respectful 
sympathy,  and  they  elbowed  and  pushed  one  another 
in  their  efforts  to  attract  Ryder's  notice,  like  so  many 
cowardly  hyenas  not  daring  to  approach  the  lordly 
wolf.  Senator  Roberts  made  a  remark  in  a  low  tone 
to  Ryder,  whereupon  the  latter  laughed.  The  by 
standers  congratulated  each  other  silently.  The  great 
man  was  pleased  to  be  in  a  good  humour.  And  as 
Ryder  turned  with  the  senator  to  enter  the  Directors 
Room  the  light  from  the  big  windows  fell  full  on  his 
face,  and  they  noticed  that  his  eyes  were  of  the  soft 
est  blue. 

33 


THE    LION  & 

"  No  squalls  to-day/'  whispered  one. 

"  Wait  and  see/'  retorted  a  more  experienced  col 
league.  "  Those  eyes  are  more  fickle  than  the 
weather." 

Outside  the  sky  was  darkening,  and  drops  of  rain 
were  already  falling.  A  flash  of  lightning  presaged 
the  coming  storm. 

Ryder  passed  on  and  into  the  Directors  Room  fol 
lowed  by  Senator  Roberts  and  the  other  directors,  the 
procession  being  brought  up  by  the  dapper  little  sec 
retary  bearing  the  minutes. 

The  long  room  with  its  narrow  centre  table  covered 
with  green  baize  was  filled  with  directors  scattered  in 
little  groups  and  all  talking  at  once  with  excited 
gesture.  At  the  sight  of  Ryder  the  chattering  stopped 
as  if  by  common  consent,  and  the  only  sound  audible 
was  of  the  shuffling  of  feet  and  the  moving  of  chairs 
as  the  directors  took  their  places  around  the  long  table. 

With  a  nod  here  and  there  Ryder  took  his  place  in 
the  chairman's  seat  and  rapped  for  order.  Then  at 
a  sign  from  the  chair  the  dapper  little  secretary  began 
in  a  monotonous  voice  to  read  the  minutes  *)f  the 
previous  meeting.  No  one  listened,  a  few  directors 
yawned.  Others  had  their  eyes  riveted  on  Ryder's 
face,  trying  to  read  there  if  he  had  devised  some  plan 
to  offset  the  crushing  blow  of  this  adverse  decision, 

34 


THE  MOUSE 

which  meant  a  serious  los-s  to  them  all.  He,  the 
master  mind,  had  served  them  in  many  a  like  crisis  in 
the  past.  Could  he  do  so  again?  But  John  Ryder 
gave  no  sign.  His  eyes,  still  of  the  same  restful  blue, 
were  fixed  on  the  ceiling  watching  a  spider  marching 
with  diabolical  intent  on  a  wretched  fly  that  had  be 
come  entangled  in  its  web.  And  as  the  secretary 
ambled  monotonously  on,  Ryder  watched  and  watched 
until  he  saw  the  spider  seize  its  helpless  prey  and 
devour  it.  Fascinated  by  the  spectacle,  which  doubt 
less  suggested  to  him  some  analogy  to  his  own 
methods,  Ryder  sat  motionless,  his  eyes  fastened  on 
the  ceiling,  until  the  sudden  stopping  of  the  secretary's 
reading  aroused  him  and  told  him  that  the  minutes 
were  finished.  Quickly  they  were  approved,  and  the 
chairman  proceeded  as  rapidly  as  possible  with  the 
regular  business  routine.  That  disposed  of,  the  meet 
ing  was  ready  for  the  chief  business  of  the  day.  Ry 
der  then  calmly  proceeded  to  present  the  facts  in 
the  case. 

Some  years  back  the  road  had  acquired  as  an  in- 
vestmerit  some  thousands  of  acres  of  land  located 
in  the  outskirts  of  Auburndale,  on  the  line  of  their 
road.  The  land  was  bought  cheap,  and  there  had  been 
some  talk  of  laying  part  of  it  out  as  a  public  park. 
This  promise  had  been  made  at  the  time  in  good  faith, 

35 


THE    LION  & 

but  it  was  no  condition  of  the  sale.  If,  afterwards, 
owing  to  the  rise  in  the  value  of  real  estate,  the  road 
found  it  impossible  to  carry  out  the  original  idea, 
surely  they  were  masters  of  their  own  property !  The 
people  of  Auburndale  thought  differently  and,  goaded 
on  by  the  local  newspapers,  had  begun  action  in  the 
courts  to  restrain  the  road  from  diverting  the  land 
from  its  alleged  original  purpose.  They  had  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  the  injunction,  but  the  road  had 
fought  it  tooth  and  nail,  and  finally  carried  it  to  the 
Supreme  Court,  where  Judge  Rossmore,  after  reserv 
ing  his  opinion,  had  finally  sustained  the  injunction  and 
decided  against  the  railroad.  That  was  the  situation, 
and  he  would  now  like  to  hear  from  the  members  of 
the  board. 

Mr.  Grimsby  rose.  Self-confident  and  noisily  lo 
quacious,  as  most  men  of  his  class  are  in  simple  con 
versation,  he  was  plainly  intimidated  at  speaking  be 
fore  such  a  crowd.  He  did  not  know  where  to  look 
nor  what  to  do  with  his  hands,  and  he  shuffled  un 
easily  on  his  feet,  while  streams  of  nervous  perspira 
tion  ran  down  his  fat  face,  which  he  mopped  re 
peatedly  with  a  big  coloured  handkerchief.  At  last, 
taking  courage,  he  began: 

"  Mr.  Chairman,  for  the  past  ten  years  this  road  has 
made  bigger  earnings  in  proportion  to  its  carrying 

36 


THE   MOUSE 

capacity  than  any  other  railroad  in  the  United  States. 
We  have  had  fewer  accidents,  less  injury  to  rolling 
stock,  less  litigation  and  bigger  dividends.  The  road 
has  been  well  managed  and  " — here  he  looked  sig 
nificantly  in  Ryder's  direction — "  there  has  been  a 
big  brain  behind  the  manager.  We  owe  you  that 
credit,  Mr.  Ryder !  " 

Cries  of  "  Hear !  Hear !  "  came  from  all  round  the 
table. 

Ryder  bowed  coldly,  and  Mr.  Grimsby  continued: 
"  But  during  the  last  year  or  two  things  have  gone 
wrong.  There  has  been  a  lot  of  litigation,  most  of 
which  has  gone  against  us,  and  it  has  cost  a  heap  of 
money.  It  reduced  the  last  quarterly  dividend  very 
considerably,  and  the  new  complication — this  Auburn- 
dale  suit,  which  also  has  gone  against  us — is  going  to 
make  a  still  bigger  hole  in  our  exchequer.  Gentlemen, 
I  don't  want  to  be  a  prophet  of  misfortune,  but  I'll 
tell  you  this — unless  something  is  done  to  stop  this 
hostility  in  the  courts  you  and  I  stand  to  lose  every 
cent  we  have  invested  in  the  road.  This  suit  which 
we  have  just  lost  means  a  number  of  others.  What  I 
would  ask  our  chairman  is  what  has  become  of  his 
former  good  relations  with  the  Supreme  Court,  what 
has  become  of  his  influence,  which  never  failed  us. 
What  are  these  rumours  regarding  Judge  Rossmore? 

37 


THE   LION   & 

He  is  charged  in  the  newspapers  with  having  accepted 
a  present  from  a  road  in  whose  favour  he  handed  down 
a  very  valuable  decision.  How  is  it  that  our  road  can 
not  reach  Judge  Rossmore  and  make  him  presents  ?  " 

The  speaker  sat  down,  flushed  and  breathless.  The 
expression  on  every  face  showed  that  the  anxiety  was 
general.  The  directors  glanced  at  Ryder,  but  his  face 
was  expressionless  as  marble.  Apparently  he  took 
not  the  slightest  interest  in  this  matter  which  so  agi 
tated  his  colleagues. 

Another  director  rose.  He  was  a  better  speaker 
than  Mr.  Grimsby,  but  his  voice  had  a  hard,  rasping 
quality  that  smote  the  ears  unpleasantly.  He  said: 

"  Mr.  Chairman,  none  of  us  can  deny  what  Mr. 
Grimsby  has  just  put  before  us  so  vividly.  We  are 
threatened  not  with  one,  but  with  a  hundred  such 
suits,  unless  something  is  done  either  to  placate  the 
public  or  to  render  its  attacks  harmless.  Rightly  or 
wrongly,  the  railroad  is  hated  by  the  people,  yet  we 
are  only  what  railroad  conditions  compel  us  to  be. 
With  the  present  fierce  competition,  no  fine  question 
of  ethics  can  enter  into  our  dealings  as  a  business 
organization.  With  an  irritated  public  and  press  on 
one  side,  and  a  hostile  judiciary  on  the  other,  the 
outlook  certainly  is  far  from  bright.  But  is  the 
judiciary  hostile?  Is  it  not  true  that  we  have  been 

38 


THE   MOUSE 

singularly  free  from  litigation  until  recently,  and  that 
most  of  the  decisions  were  favourable  to  the  road? 
Judge  Rossmore  is  the  real  danger.  While  he  is  on 
the  bench  the  road  is  not  safe.  Yet  all  efforts  to 
reach  him  have  failed  and  will  fail.  I  do  not  take 
any  stock  in  the  newspaper  stories  regarding  Judge 
Rossmore.  They  are  preposterous.  Judge  Rossmore 
is  too  strong  a  man  to  be  got  rid  of  so  easily." 

The  speaker  sat  down  and  another  rose,  his  ar 
guments  being  merely  a  reiteration  of  those  already 
heard.  Ryder  did  not  listen  to  what  was  being  said. 
Why  should  he?  Was  he  not  familiar  with  every 
possible  phase  of  the  game?  Better  than  these  men 
who  merely  talked,  he  was  planning  how  the  railroad 
and  all  his  other  interests  could  get  rid  of  this  trouble 
some  judge. 

It  was  true.  He  who  controlled  legislatures  and 
dictated  to  Supreme  Court  judges  had  found  himself 
powerless  when  each  turn  of  the  legal  machinery 
had  brought  him  face  to  face  with  Judge  Rossmore. 
Suit  after  suit  had  been  decided  against  him  and  the 
interests  he  represented,  and  each  time  it  was  Judge 
Rossmore  who  had  handed  down  the  decision.  So  for 
years  these  two  men  had  fought  a  silent  but  bitter  duel 
in  which  principle  on  the  one  side  and  attempted  cor 
ruption  on  the  other  were  the  gauge  of  battle.  Judge 

39 


THE    LION  & 

Rossmore  fought  with  the  weapons  which  his  oath 
and  the  law  directed  him  to  use,  Ryder  with  the  only 
weapons  he  understood — bribery  and  trickery.  And 
each  time  it  had  been  Rossmore  who  had  emerged 
triumphant.  Despite  every  manoeuvre  Ryder's  experi 
ence  could  suggest,  notwithstanding  every  card  that 
could  be  played  to  undermine  his  credit  and  reputa 
tion,  Judge  Rossmore  stood  higher  in  the  country's 
confidence  than  when  he  was  first  appointed. 

So  when  Ryder  found  he  could  not  corrupt  this 
honest  judge  with  gold,  he  decided  to  destroy  him 
with  calumny.  He  realized  that  the  sordid  methods 
which  had  succeeded  with  other  judges  would  never 
prevail  with  Rossmore,  so  he  plotted  to  take  away  from 
this  man  the  one  thing  he  cherished  most — his  honour. 
He  would  ruin  him  by  defaming  his  character, 
and  so  skilfully  would  he  accomplish  his  work  that  the 
judge  himself  would  realize  the  hopelessness  of  re 
sistance.  No  scruples  embarrassed  Ryder  in  arriving 
at  this  determinatioin.  From  his  point  of  view  he 
was  fully  justified.  "  Business  is  business.  He  hurts 
my  interests ;  therefore  I  remove  him."  So  he  argued, 
and  he  considered  it  no  more  wrong  to  wreck  the  hap 
piness  of  this  honourable  man  than  he  would  to  have 
shot  a  burglar  in  self-defence.  So  having  thus  tran 
quillized  his  conscience  he  had  gone  to  work  in  his 

40 


THE   MOUSE 

usually  thorough  manner,  and  his  success  had  sur 
passed  the  most  sanguine  expectations. 

This  is  what  he  had  done. 

Like  many  of  our  public  servants  whose  labours  are 
compensated  only  in  niggardly  fashion  by  an  incon 
siderate  country,  Judge  Rossmore  was  a  man  of  but 
moderate  means.  His  income  as  Justice  of  the  Su 
preme  Court  was  $12,000  a  year,  but  for  a  man  in  his 
position,  having  a  certain  appearance  to  keep  up,  it 
little  more  than  kept  the  wolf  from  the  door.  He 
lived  quietly  but  comfortably  in  New  York  City  with 
his  wife  and  his  daughter  Shirley,  an  attractive  young 
woman  who  had  graduated  from  Vassar  and  had 
shown  a  marked  taste  for  literature.  The  daughter's 
education  had  cost  a  good  deal  of  money,  and  this, 
together  with  life  insurance  and  other  incidentals  of 
keeping  house  in  New  York,  had  about  taken  all  he 
had.  Yet  he  had  managed  to  save  a  little,  and  those 
years  when  he  could  put  by  a  fifth  of  his  salary  the 
judge  considered  himself  lucky.  Secretly,  he  was 
proud  of  his  comparative  poverty.  At  least  the  world 
could  never  ask  him  "  where  he  got  it." 

Ryder  was  well  acquainted  with  Judge  Rossmore's 
private  means.  The  two  men  had  met  at  a  dinner,  and 
although  Ryder  had  tried  to  cultivate  the  acquaintance, 
he  never  received  much  encouragement.  Ryder's  son 


THE   LION  & 

Jefferson,  too,  had  met  Miss  Shirley  Rossmore  and 
been  much  attracted  to  her,  but  the  father  having  more 
ambitious  plans  for  his  heir  quickly  discouraged  all 
attentions  in  that  direction.  He  himself,  however, 
continued  to  meet  the  judge  casually,  and  one  evening 
he  contrived  to  broach  the  subject  of  profitable  in 
vestments.  The  judge  admitted  that  by  careful 
hoarding  and  much  stinting  he  had  managed  to  save 
a  few  thousand  dollars  which  he  was  anxious  to 
invest  in  something  good. 

Quick  as  the  keen-eyed  vulture  swoops  down  on 
its  prey  the  wily  financier  seized  the  opportunity  thus 
presented.  And  he  took  so  much  trouble  in  answer 
ing  the  judge's  inexperienced  questions,  and  gener 
ally  made  himself  so  agreeable,  that  the  judge  found 
himself  regretting  that  he  and  Ryder  had,  by  force 
of  circumstances,  been  opposed  to  each  other  in  pub 
lic  life  so  long.  Ryder  strongly  recommended  the 
purchase  of  Alaskan  Mining  stoclt,  a  new  and  boom 
ing  enterprise  which  had  lately  become  very  active  in 
the  market.  Ryder  said  he  had  reasons  to  believe  that 
the  stock  would  soon  advance,  and  now  there  was  an 
opportunity  to  get  it  cheap. 

A  few  days  after  he  had  made  the  investment  the 
judge  was  surprised  to  receive  certificates  of  stock 
for  double  the  amount  he  had  paid  for.  At  the  same 

42 


THE   MOUSE 

time  he  received  a  letter  from  the  secretary  of  the 
company  explaining  that  the  additional  stock  was  pool 
stock  and  not  to  be  marketed  at  the  present  time.  It 
was  in  the  nature  of  a  bonus  to  which  he  was  entitled 
as  one  of  the  early  shareholders.  The  letter  was  full 
of  verbiage  and  technical  details  of  which  the  judge 
understood  nothing,  but  he  thought  it  very  liberal 
of  the  company,  and  putting  the  stock  away  in  his 
safe  soon  forgot  all  about  it.  Had  he  been  a  business 
man  he  would  have  scented  peril.  He  would  have 
realized  that  he  had  now  in  his  possession  $50,000 
worth  of  stock  for  which  he  had  not  paid  a  cent,  and 
furthermore  had  deposited  it  when  a  reorganization 
came. 

But  the  judge  was  sincerely  grateful  for  Ryder's 
apparently  disinterested  advice  and  wrote  two  letters 
to  him,  one  in  which  he  thanked  him  for  the  trouble 
he  had  taken,  and  another  in  which  he  asked  him 
if  he  was  sure  the  company  was  financially  sound,  as 
the  investment  he  contemplated  making  represented 
all  his  savings.  He  added  in  the  second  letter  that  he 
had  received  stock  for  double  the  amount  of  his  in 
vestment,  and  that  being  a  perfect  child  in  business 
transactions  he  had  been  unable  to  account  for  the  ex 
tra  $50,000  worth  until  the  secretary  of  the  company 

43 


THE   LION  & 

had  written  him  assuring  him  that  everything  was  in 
order.  These  letters  Ryder  kept. 

From  that  time  on  the  Alaskan  Mining  Company 
underwent  mysterious  changes.  New  capitalists  gained 
control  and  the  name  was  altered  to  the  Great  North 
western  Mining  Company.  Then  it  became  involved 
in  litigation,  and  one  suit,  the  outcome  of  which 
meant  millions  to  the  company,  was  carried  to  the 
Supreme  Court,  where  Judge  Rossmore  was  sitting. 
The  judge  had  by  this  time  forgotten  all  about  the 
company  in  which  he  owned  stock.  He  did  not  even 
recall  its  name.  He  only  knew  vaguely  that  it  was  a 
mine  and  that  it  was  situated  in  Alaska.  Could  he 
dream  that  the  Great  Northwestern  Mining  Company 
and  the  company  to  which  he  had  entrusted  his  few 
thousands  were  one  and  the  same?  In  deciding  on 
the  merits  of  the  case  presented  to  him  right  seemed 
to  him  to  be  plainly  with  the  Northwestern,  and  he 
rendered  a  decision  to  that  effect.  It  was  an  impor 
tant  decision,  involving  a  large  sum,  and  for  a  day  or 
two  it  was  talked  about.  But  as  it  was  the  opinion  of 
the  most  learned  and  honest  judge  on  the  bench  no 
one  dreamed  of  questioning  it. 

But  very  soon  ugly  paragraphs  began  to  appear  in 
the  newspapers.  One  paper  asked  if  it  were  true  that 
Judge  Rossmore  owned  stock  in  the  Great  Northwest- 

44 


THE   MOUSE 

ern  Mining  Company  which  had  recently  benefited  so 
signally  by  his  decision.  Interviewed  by  a  reporter, 
Judge  Rossmore  indignantly  denied  being  interested 
in  any  way  in  the  company.  Thereupon  the  same 
paper  returned  to  the  attack,  stating  that  the  judge 
must  surely  be  mistaken  as  the  records  showed  a  sale 
of  stock  to  him  at  the  time  the  company  was  known 
as  the  Alaskan  Mining  Company.  When  he  read  this 
the  judge  was  overwhelmed.  It  was  true  then !  They 
had  not  slandered  him.  It  was  he  who  had  lied,  but 
how  innocently — how  innocently ! 

His  daughter  Shirley,  who  was  his  greatest  friend 
and  comfort,  was  then  in  Europe.  She  had  gone  to 
the  Continent  to  rest,  after  working  for  months  on  a 
novel  which  she  had  just  published.  His  wife,  entirely 
without  experience  in  business  matters  and  somewhat 
of  an  invalid,  was  helpless  to  advise  him.  But  to 
his  old  and  tried  friend,  ex- Judge  Stott,  Judge 
Rossmore  explained  the  facts  as  they  were.  Stott 
shook  his  head.  "  It's  a  conspiracy !  "  he  cried.  "  And 
John  B.  Ryder  is  behind  it."  Rossmore  refused  to 
believe  that  any  man  could  so  deliberately  try  to  en 
compass  another's  destruction,  but  when  more  news 
paper  stories  came  out  he  began  to  realize  that  Stott 
was  right  and  that  his  enemies  had  indeed  dealt  him 
a  deadly  blow.  One  newspaper  boldly  stated  that 

45 


THE    LION  & 

Judge  Rossmore  was  down  on  the  mining  company's 
books  for  $50,000  more  stock  than  he  had  paid  for, 
and  it  went  on  to  ask  if  this  were  payment  for  the 
favourable  decision  just  rendered.  Rossmore,  helpless, 
child-like  as  he  was  in  business  matters,  now  fully 
realized  the  seriousness  of  his  position.  "  My  God !  My 
God !  "  he  cried,  as  he  bowed  his  head  down  on  his 
desk.  And  for  a  whole  day  he  remained  closeted  in 
his  library,  no  one  venturing  near  him. 

As  John  Ryder  sat  there  sphinx-like  at  the  head 
of  the  directors'  table  he  reviewed  all  this  in  his  mind. 
His  own  part  in  the  work  was  now  done  and  well  done, 
and  he  had  come  to  this  meeting  to-day  to  tell  them 
of  his  triumph. 

The  speaker,  to  whom  he  had  paid  such  scant  at 
tention,  resumed  his  seat,  and  there  followed  a  pause 
and  an  intense  silence  which  was  broken  only  by  the 
pattering  of  the  rain  against  the  big  windows.  The 
directors  turned  expectantly  to  Ryder,  waiting  for 
,  him  to  speak.  What  could  the  Colossus  do  now  to 
save  the  situation?  Cries  of  "  the  Chair!  the  Chair!  " 
arose  on  every  side.  Senator  Roberts  leaned  over  to 
Ryder  and  whispered  something  in  his  ear. 

With  an  acquiescent  gesture,  John  Ryder  tapped 
the  table  with  his  gavel  and  rose  to  address  his  fel 
low  directors.  Instantly  the  room  was  silent  again  as 


He  had  come  to  this  meeting  to-day  to  tell  them 
of  his  triumph.— Page  46. 


THE   MOUSE 

the  tomb.  One  might  have  heard  a  pin  drop,  so  in 
tense  was  the  attention.  All  eyes  were  fixed  on 
the  chairman.  The  air  itself  seemed  charged  with 
electricity,  that  needed  but  a  spark  to  set  it  ablaze. 

Speaking  deliberately  and  dispassionately,  the  Mas 
ter  Dissembler  began. 

They  had  all  listened  carefully,  he  said,  to  what 
had  been  stated  by  previous  speakers.  The  situation 
no  doubt  was  very  critical,  but  they  had  weathered 
worse  storms  and  he  had  every  reason  to  hope  they 
would  outlive  this  storm.  It  was  true  that  public 
opinion  was  greatly  incensed  against  the  railroads  and, 
indeed,  against  all  organized  capital,  and  was  seeking 
to  injure  them  through  the  courts.  For  a  time  this 
agitation  would  hurt  business  and  lessen  the  dividends, 
for  it  meant  not  only  smaller  annual  earnings  but  that 
a  lot  of  money  must  be  spent  in  Washington. 

The  eyes  of  the  listeners,  who  were  hanging  on 
every  word,  involuntarily  turned  in  the  direction  of 
Senator  Roberts,  but  the  latter,  at  that  moment 
busily  engaged  in  rummaging  among  a  lot  of  papers, 
seemed  to  have  missed  this  significant  allusion  to  the 
roai's  expenses  in  the  District  of  Columbia.  Ryder 
continued : 

In  his  experience  such  waves  of  reform  were  peri 
odical  and  soon  wear  themselves  out,  when  things  go 

47 


THE    LION  & 

on  just  as  they  did  before.  Much  of  the  agitation, 
doubtless,  was  a  strike  for  graft.  They  would  have 
to  go  down  in  their  pockets,  he  supposed,  and  then 
these  yellow  newspapers  and  these  yellow  magazines 
that  were  barking  at  their  heels  would  let  them  go. 
But  in  regard  to  the  particular  case  now  at  issue — this 
Auburndale  decision — there  had  been  no  way  of  pre 
venting  it.  Influence  had  been  used,  but  to  no  effect. 
The  thing  to  do  now  was  to  prevent  any  such  disasters 
in  future  by  removing  the  author  of  them. 

The  directors  bent  eagerly  forward.  Had  Ryder 
really  got  some  plan  up  his  sleeve  after  all?  The 
faces  around  the  table  looked  brighter,  and  the  direc 
tors  cleared  their  throats  and  settled  themselves  down 
in  their  chairs  as  audiences  do  in  the  theatre  when 
the  drama  is  reaching  its  climax. 

The  board,  continued  Ryder  with  icy  calmness, 
had  perhaps  heard,  and  also  seen  in  the  newspapers, 
the  stories  regarding  Judge  Rossmore  and  his  alleged 
connection  with  the  Great  Northwestern  Company. 
Perhaps  they  had  not  believed  these  stories.  It  was 
only  natural.  He  had  not  believed  them  himself. 
But  he  had  taken  the  trouble  to  inquire  into  the  mat 
ter  very  carefully,  and  he  regretted  to  say  that  the 
stories  were  true.  In  fact,  they  were  no  longer  de 
nied  by  Judge  Rossmore  himself. 


THE   MOUSE 

The  directors  looked  at  each  other  in '  amazement. 
Gasps  of  astonishment,  incredulity,  satisfaction  were 
heard  all  over  the  room.  The  rumours  were  true,  then  ? 
Was  it  possible  ?  Incredible ! 

Investigation,  Ryder  went  on,  had  shown  that 
Judge  Rossmore  was  not  only  interested  in  the  com 
pany  in  whose  favour,  as  Judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  he  had  rendered  an  important  decision,  but 
what  was  worse,  he  had  accepted  from  that  com 
pany  a  valuable  gift — that  is,  $50,000  worth  of  stock— 
for  which  he  had  given  absolutely  nothing  in  return 
unless,  as  some  claimed,  the  weight  of  his  influence  on 
the  bench.  These  facts  were  very  ugly  and  so  un 
answerable  that  Judge  Rossmore  did  not  attempt  to 
answer  them,  and  the  important  news  which  he,  the 
chairman,  had  to  announce  to  his  fellow-directors  that 
afternoon,  was  that  Judge  Rossmore's  conduct  would 
be  made  the  subject  of  an  inquiry  by  Congress. 

This  was  the  spark  that  was  needed  to  ignite  the 
electrically  charged  air.  A  wild  cry  of  triumph  went 
up  from  this  band  of  jackals  only  too  willing  to  fatten 
their  bellies  at  the  cost  of  another  man's  ruin,  and  one 
director,  in  his  enthusiasm,  rose  excitedly  from  his 
chair  and  demanded  a  vote  of  thanks  for  John  Ryder. 

Ryder  coldly  opposed  the  motion.  No  thanks 
Were  due  to  him,  he  said  deprecatingly,  nor  did  he 

49 


THE  LION  & 

think  the  occasion  called  for  congratulations  of  any 
kind.  It  was  surely  a  sad  spectacle  to  see  this  hon 
oured  judge,  this  devoted  father,  this  blameless  citizen 
threatened  with  ruin  and  disgrace  on  account  of  one 
false  step.  Let  them  rather  sympathize  with  him 
and  his  family  in  their  misfortune.  He  had  little 
more  to  tell.  The  Congressional  inquiry  would  take 
place  immediately,  and  in  all  probability  a  demand 
would  be  made  upon  the  Senate  for  Judge  Rossmore's 
impeachment.  It  was,  he  added,  almost  unnecessary 
for  him  to  remind  the  Board  that,  in  the  event  of 
impeachment,  the  adverse  decision  in  the  Auburndale 
case  would  be  annulled  and  the  road  would  be  entitled 
to  a  new  trial. 

Ryder  sat  down,  and  pandemonium  broke  loose,  the 
delighted  directors  tumbling  over  each  other  in  their 
eagerness  to  shake  hands  with  the  man  who  had  saved 
them.  Ryder  had  given  no  hint  that  he  had  been  a 
factor  in  the  working  up  of  this  case  against  their 
common  enemy,  in  fact  he  had  appeared  to  sympathise 
with  him,  but  the  directors  knew  well  that  he  and  he 
alone  had  been  the  master  mind  which  had  brought 
about  the  happy  result. 

On  a  motion  to  adjourn,  the  meeting  broke  up,  and 
everyone  began  to  troop  towards  the  elevators.  Out 
side  the  rain  was  now  coming  down  in  torrents  and 

50 


THE   MOUSE 

the  lights  that  everywhere  dotted  the  great  city  only 
paled  when  every  few  moments  a  vivid  flash  of  light 
ning  rent  the  enveloping  gloom. 

Ryder  and  Senator  Roberts  went  down  in  the  ele 
vator  together.  When  they  reached  the  street  the 
senator  inquired  in  a  low  tone : 

"  Do  you  think  they  really  believed  Rossmore  was 
influenced  in  his  decision  ?  " 

Ryder  glanced  from  the  lowering  clouds  overhead 
to  his  electric  brougham  which  awaited  him  at  the 
curb  and  replied  indifferently : 

"Not  they.  They  don't  care.  All  they  want  to 
believe  is  that  he  is  to  be  impeached.  The  man  was 
dangerous  and  had  to  be  removed — no  matter  by  what 
means.  He  is  our  enemy — my  enemy — and  I  never 
give  quarter  to  my  enemies ! " 

As  he  spoke  his  prognathous  jaw  snapped  to  with 
a  click-like  sound,  and  in  his  eyes  now  coal-black  were 
glints  of  fire.  At  the  same  instant  there  was  a  blind 
ing  flash,  accompanied  by  a  terrific  crash,  and  the 
splinters  of  the  flag-pole  on  the  building  opposite, 
which  had  been  struck  by  a  bolt,  fell  at  their  feet. 

"  A  good  or  a  bad  omen  ?  "  asked  the  senator  with 
a  nervous  laugh.  He  was  secretly  afraid  of  lightning 
but  was  ashamed  to  admit  it. 


THE   LION  & 

"A  bad  omen  for  Judge  Rossmore!"  rejoined 
Ryder  coolly,  as  he  slammed  to  the  door  of  the  cab, 
and  the  two  men  drove  rapidly  off  in  the  direction  of 
Fifth  Avenue. 


THE   MOUSE 


CHAPTER   III 

OF  all  the  spots  on  this  fair,  broad  earth  where 
the  jaded  globe  wanderer,  surfeited  with  hack 
neyed  sight-seeing,  may  sit  in  perfect  peace 
and  watch  the  world  go  by,  there  is  none  more  fasci 
nating  nor  one  presenting  a  more  brilliant  panorama 
of  cosmopolitan  life  than  that  famous  corner  on  the 
Paris  boulevards,  formed  by  the  angle  of  the  Boule 
vard  des  Capucines  and  the  Place  de  TOpera.  Here, 
on  the  "  terrace "  of  the  Cafe  de  la  Paix,  with  its 
white  and  gold  facade  and  long  French  windows,  and 
its  innumerable  little  marble-topped  tables  and  rattan 
chairs,  one  may  sit  for  hours  at  the  trifling  expense 
of  a  few  sous,  undisturbed  even  by  the  tip-seeking 
garqon,  and,  if  one  happens  to  be  a  student  of  human 
nature,  find  keen  enjoyment  in  observing  the  world- 
types,  representing  every  race  and  nationality  under 
the  sun,  that  pass  and  re-pass  in  a  steady,  never  ceas 
ing,  exhaustless  stream.  The  crowd  surges  to  and  fro, 
past  the  little  tables,  occasionally  toppling  over  a  chair 
or  two  in  the  crush,  moving  up  or  down  the  great 
boulevards,  one  procession  going  to  the  right,  in  the 

53 


THE    LION  & 

direction  of  the  Church  of  the  Madeleine,  the  other  to 
the  left  heading  toward  the  historic  Bastille,  both 
really  going  nowhere  in  particular,  but  ambling  gently 
and  good  humouredly  along  enjoying  the  sights — and 
life! 

Paris,  queen  of  cities !  Light-hearted,  joyous,  radi 
ant  Paris — the  playground  of  the  nations,  the  Mecca 
of  the  pleasure-seekers,  the  city  beautiful!  Paris — 
the  siren,  frankly  immoral,  always  seductive,  ever 
caressing!  City  of  a  thousand  political  convulsions, 
city  of  a  million  crimes — her  streets  have  run  with 
human  blood,  horrors  unspeakable  have  stained  her 
history,  civil  strife  has  scarred  her  monuments,  the 
German  conqueror  insolently  has  bivouaced  within  her 
walls.  Yet,  like  a  virgin  undefiled,  she  shows  no  sign 
of  storm  and  stress,  she  offers  her  dimpled  cheek  to 
the  rising  sun,  and  when  fall  the  shadows  of  night  and 
a  billion  electric  bulbs  flash  in  the  siren's  crown,  her 
resplendent,  matchless  beauty  dazzles  the  world! 

As  the  supreme  reward  of  virtue,  the  good  American 
is  promised  a  visit  to  Paris  when  he  dies.  Those,  how 
ever,  of  our  sagacious  fellow  countrymen  who  can 
afford  to  make  the  trip,  usually  manage  to  see  Lutetia 
before  crossing  the  river  Styx.  Most  Americans  like 
Paris — some  like  it  so  well  that  they  have  made  it  their 
permanent  home — although  it  must  be  added  that  in 

54 


THE   MOUSE 

their  admiration  they  rarely  include  the  Frenchman. 
For  that  matter,  we  are  not  as  a  nation  particularly 
fond  of  any  foreigner,  largely  because  we  do  not  under 
stand  him,  while  the  foreigner  for  his  part  is  quite 
willing  to  return  the  compliment.  He  gives  the 
Yankee  credit  for  commercial  smartness,  which  has 
built  up  America's  great  material  prosperity ;  but  he 
has  the  utmost  contempt  for  our  acquaintance  with 
art,  and  no  profound  respect  for  us  as  scientists. 

Is  it  not  indeed  fortunate  that  every  nation  finds 
itself  superior  to  its  neighbour?  If  this  were  not  so 
each  would  be  jealous  of  the  other,  and  would  cry  with 
envy  like  a  spoiled  child  who  cannot  have  the  moon 
to  play  with.  Happily,  therefore,  for  the  harmony  of 
the  world,  each  nation  cordially  detests  the  other  and 
the  much  exploited  "  brotherhood  of  man  "  is  only  a 
figure  of  speech.  The  Englishman,  confident  that  he 
is  the  last  word  of  creation,  despises  tfre  Frenchman, 
who,  in  turn,  laughs  at  the  German,  who  shows  open 
contempt  for  the  Italian,  while  the  American,  conscious 
of  his  superiority  to  the  whole  family  of  nations,  se 
cretly  pities  them  all. 

The  most  serious  fault  which  the  American — whose 
one  god  is  Mammon  and  chief  characteristic  hustle — 
has  to  find  with  his  French  brother  is  that  he  enjoys 
life  too  much,  is  never  in  a  hurry  and,  what  to  the 

55 


THE   LION  & 

Yankee  mind  is  hardly  respectable,  has  a  habit  of  play 
ing  dominoes  during  business  hours.  The  Frenchman 
retorts  that  his  American  brother,  clever  person 
though  he  be,  has  one  or  two  things  still  to  learn.  He 
has,  he  declares,  no  philosophy  of  life.  It  is  true  that 
he  has  learned  the  trick  of  making  money,  but  in  the 
things  which  go  to  satisfy  the  soul  he  is  still  strangely 
lacking.  He  thinks  he  is  enjoying  life,  when  really  he 
is  ignorant  of  what  life  is.  He  admits  it  is  not  the 
American's  fault,  for  he  has  never  been  taught 
how  to  enjoy  life.  One  must  be  educated  to  that  as 
everything  else.  All  the  American  is  taught  is  to  be 
in  a  perpetual  hurry  and  to  make  money  no  matter 
how.  In  this  mad  daily  race  for  wealth,  he  bolts  his 
food,  not  stopping  to  masticate  it  properly,  and  conse 
quently  suffers  all  his  life  from  dyspepsia.  So  he 
rushes  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  and  what's  the 
good,  since  he  must  one  day  die  like  all  the  rest? 

And  what,  asks  the  foreigner,  has  the  American 
hustler  accomplished  that  his  slower-going  Continental 
brother  has  not  done  as  well?  Are  finer  cities  to  be 
found  in  America  than  in  Europe,  do  Americans  paint 
more  beautiful  pictures,  or  write  more  learned  or  more 
entertaining  books,  has  America  made  greater  progress 
in  science  ?  Is  it  not  a  fact  that  the  greatest  inventors 
and  scientists  of  our  time — Marconi,  who  gave  to  the 

56 


THE   MOUSE 

world  wireless  telegraphy,  Professor  Curie,  who  dis 
covered  radium,  Pasteur,  who  found  a  cure  for  rabies, 
Santos-Dumont,  who  has  almost  succeeded  in  navigat 
ing  the  air,  Professor  Rontgen  who  discovered  the 
X-ray — are  not  all  these  immortals  Europeans?  And 
those  two  greatest  mechanical  inventions  of  our  day, 
the  automobile  and  the  submarine  boat,  were  they  not 
first  introduced  and  perfected  in  France  before  we  in 
America  woke  up  to  appreciate  their  use?  Is  it,  there 
fore,  not  possible  to  take  life  easily  and  still  achieve? 

The  logic  of  these  arguments,  set  forth  in  Le  Soir 
in  an  article  on  the  New  World,  appealed  strongly  to 
Jefferson  Ryder  as  he  sat  in  front  of  the  Cafe  de  la 
Paix,  sipping  a  sugared  Vermouth.  It  was  five  o'clock, 
the  magic  hour  of  the  aperitif,  when  the  glutton  taxes 
his  wits  to  deceive  his  stomach  and  work  up  an  appe 
tite  for  renewed  gorging.  The  little  tables  were  all 
occupied  with  the  usual  before-dinner  crowd.  There 
were  a  good  many  foreigners,  mostly  English  and 
Americans  and  a  few  Frenchmen,  obviously  from  the 
provinces,  with  only  a  sprinkling  of  real  Parisians. 

Jefferson's  acquaintance  with  the  French  language 
was  none  too  profound,  and  he  had  to  guess  at  half 
the  words  in  the  article,  but  he  understood  enough  to 
follow  the  writer's  arguments.  Yes,  it  was  quite  true, 
he  thought,  the  American  idea  of  life  was  all  wrong. 

57 


THE   LION   & 

What  was  the  sense  of  slaving  all  one's  life,  piling  up 
a  mass  of  money  one  cannot  possibly  spend,  when  there 
is  only  one  life  to  live?  How  much  saner  the  man 
who  is  content  with  enough  and  enjoys  life  while  he 
is  able  to.  These  Frenchmen,  and  indeed  all  the  Con 
tinental  nations,  had  solved  the  problem.  The  gaiety 
of  their  cities,  and  this  exuberant  joy  of  life  they  com 
municated  to  all  about  them,,  were  sufficient  proofs 
of  it. 

Fascinated  by  the  gay  scene  around  him  Jefferson 
laid  the  newspaper  aside.  To  the  young  American, 
fresh  from  prosaic  money-mad  New  York,  the  City  of 
Pleasure  presented  indeed  a  novel  and  beautiful  spec 
tacle.  How  different,  he  mused,  from  his  own  city 
with  its  one  fashionable  thoroughfare — Fifth  Avenue 
— monotonously  lined  for  miles  with  hideous  brown- 
stone  residences,  and  showing  little  real  animation 
except  during  the  Saturday  afternoon  parade  when  the 
activities  of  the  smart  set,  male  and  female,  centred 
chiefly  in  such  exciting  diversions  as  going  to  Huyler's 
for  soda,  taking  tea  at  the  Waldorf,  and  trying  to  outdo 
each  other  in  dress  and  show.  New  York  certainly 
was  a  dull  place  with  all  its  boasted  cosmopolitanism. 
There  was  no  denying  that.  Destitute  of  any  natural 
beauty,  handicapped  by  its  cramped  geographical  posi 
tion  between  two  rivers,  made  unsightly  by  gigantic 

58 


THE   MOUSE 

sky-scrapers  and  that  noisy  monstrosity  the  Elevated 
Railroad,  having  no  intellectual  interests,  no  art  in 
terests,  no  interest  in  anything  not  immediately  con 
nected  with  dollars,  it  was  a  city  to  dwell  in  and 
make  money  in,  but  hardly  a  city  to  live  in.  The 
millionaires  were  building  white-marble  palaces, 
taxing  the  ingenuity  and  the  originality  of  the  native 
architects,  and  thus  to  some  extent  relieving  the  gen 
eral  ugliness  and  drab  commonplaceness,  while  the 
merchant  princes  had  begun  to  invade  the  lower  end 
of  the  avenue  with  handsome  shops.  But  in  spite  of 
all  this,  in  spite  of  its  pretty  girls — and  Jefferson  in 
sisted  that  in  this  one  important  particular  New  York 
had  no  peer — in  spite  of  its  comfortable  theatres  and 
its  wicked  Tenderloin,  and  its  Rialto  made  so  brilliant 
at  night  by  thousands  of  elaborate  electric  signs,  New 
York  still  had  the  subdued  air  of  a  provincial  town, 
compared  with  the  exuberant  gaiety,  the  multiple  at 
tractions,  the  beauties,  natural  and  artificial,  of  cosmo 
politan  Paris. 

The  boulevards  were  crowded,  as  usual  at  that  hour, 
and  the  crush  of  both  vehicles  and  pedestrians  was  so 
great  as  to  permit  of  only  a  snail-like  progress.  The 
clumsy  three-horse  omnibuses — Madeleine-Bastille — 
crowded  inside  and  out  with  passengers  and  with  their 
neatly  uniformed  drivers  and  conductors,  so  different 

59 


THE   LION  & 

in  appearance  and  manner  from  our  own  slovenly 
street-car  rowdies,  were  endeavouring  to  breast  a  per 
fect  sea  of  fiacres  which,  like  a  swarm  of  mosquitoes, 
appeared  to  be  trying  to  go  in  every  direction  at  once, 
their  drivers  vociferating  torrents  of  vituperous  abuse 
on  every  man,  woman  or  beast  unfortunate  enough  to 
get  in  their  way.  As  a  dispenser  of  unspeakable  pro 
fanity,  the  Paris  cocker  has  no  equal.  He  is  unique, 
no  one  can  approach  him.  He  also  enjoys  the  reputa 
tion  of  being  the  worst  driver  in  the  world.  If  there 
is  any  possible  way  in  which  he  can  run  down  a  pedes 
trian  or  crash  into  another  vehicle  he  will  do  it,  prob 
ably  for  the  only  reason  that  it  gives  him  another 
opportunity  to  display  his  choice  stock  of  picturesque 
expletives. 

But  it  was  a  lively,  good-natured  crowd  and  the 
fashionably  gowned  women  and  the  well-dressed  men, 
the  fakirs  hoarsely  crying  their  catch-penny  devices, 
the  noble  boulevards  lined  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach  with  trees  in  full  foliage,  the  magnificent  Opera 
House  with  its  gilded  dome  glistening  in  the  warm 
sunshine  of  a  June  afternoon,  the  broad  avenue  di 
rectly  opposite,  leading  in  a  splendid  straight  line  to 
the  famous  Palais  Royal,  the  almost  dazzling  whiteness 
of  the  houses  and  monuments,  the  remarkable  cleanli 
ness  and  excellent  condition  of  the  sidewalks  and 

60 


THE  MOUSE 

streets,  the  gaiety  and  richness  of  the  shops  and  res 
taurants,  the  picturesque  kiosks  where  they  sold  news 
papers  and  flowers — all  this  made  up  a  picture  so 
utterly  unlike  anything  he  was  familiar  with  at  home 
that  Jefferson  sat  spellbound,  delighted. 

Yes,  it  was  true,  he  thought,  the  foreigner  had  in 
deed  learned  the  secret  of  enjoying  life.  There  was 
assuredly  something  else  in  the  world  beyond  mere 
money-getting.  His  father  was  a  slave  to  it,  but  he 
would  never  be.  He  was  resolved  on  that.  Yet,  with 
all  his  ideas  of  emancipation  and  progress,  Jefferson 
was  a  thoroughly  practical  young  man.  He  fully 
understood  the  value  of  money,  and  the  possession  of 
it  was  as  sweet  to  him  as  to  other  men.  Only  he  would 
never  soil  his  soul  in  acquiring  it  dishonourably.  He 
was  convinced  that  society  as  at  present  organized 
was  all  wrong  and  that  the  feudalism  of  the  middle 
ages  had  simply  given  place  to  a  worse  form  of  slavery 
— capitalistic  driven  labour — which  had  resulted  in  the 
actual  iniquitous  conditions,  the  enriching  of  the  rich 
and  the  impoverishment  of  the  poor.  He  was  familiar 
with  the  socialistic  doctrines  of  the  day  and  had  taken 
a  keen  interest  in  this  momentous  question,  this  dream 
of  a  regenerated  mankind.  He  had  read  Karl  Marx 
and  other  socialistic  writers,  and  while  his  essentially 
practical  mind  could  hardly  approve  all  their  pro- 

61 


THE    LION  & 

gramme  for  reorganizing  the  State,  some  of  which 
seemed  to  him  Utopian,  extravagant  and  even  unde 
sirable,  he  realised  that  the  socialistic  movement  was 
growing  rapidly  all  over  the  world  and  the  day  was 
not  far  distant  when  in  America,  as  to-day  in  Ger 
many  and  France,  it  would  be  a  formidable  factor  to 
reckon  with. 

But  until  the  socialistic  millennium  arrived  and  so 
ciety  was  reorganized,  money,  he  admitted,  would  re 
main  the  lever  of  the  world,  the  great  stimulus  to 
effort.  Money  supplied  not  only  the  necessities  of 
life  but  also  its  luxuries,  everything  the  material  desire 
craved  for,  and  so  long  as  money  had  this  magic  pur 
chasing  power,  so  long  would  men  lie  and  cheat  and 
rob  and  kill  for  its  possession.  Was  life  worth  living 
without  money?  Could  one  travel  and  enjoy  the 
glorious  spectacles  Nature  affords — the  rolling  ocean, 
the  majestic  mountains,  the  beautiful  lakes,  the  noble 
rivers — without  money?  Could  the  book-lover  buy 
books,  the  art-lover  purchase  pictures?  Could  one 
have  fine  houses  to  live  in,  or  all  sorts  of  modern  con 
veniences  to  add  to  one's  comfort,  without  money? 
The  philosophers  declared  contentment  to  be  happi 
ness,  arguing  that  the  hod-carrier  was  likely  to  be  hap 
pier  in  his  hut  than  the  millionaire  in  his  palace;  but 
was  not  that  mere  animal  contentment,  the  happiness 

62 


THE  MOUSE 

which  knows  no  higher  state,  the  ignorance  of  one 
whose  eyes  have  never  been  raised  to  the  heights  ? 

No,  Jefferson  was  no  fool.  He  loved  money  for 
what  pleasure,  intellectual  or  physical,  it  could  give 
him,  but  he  would  never  allow  money  to  dominate  his 
life  as  his  father  had  done.  His  father,  he  knew  well, 
was  not  a  happy  man,  neither  happy  himself  nor  re 
spected  by  the  world.  He  had  toiled  all  his  life  to 
make  his  vast  fortune  and  now  he  toiled  to  take  care 
of  it.  The  galley  slave  led  a  life  of  luxurious  ease 
compared  with  John  Burkett  Ryder.  Baited  by  the 
yellow  newspapers  and  magazines,  investigated  by 
State  committees,  dogged  by  process-servers,  haunted 
by  beggars,  harassed  by  blackmailers,  threatened  by 
kidnappers,  frustrated  in  his  attempts  to  bestow 
charity  by  the  cry  "  tainted  money  " — certainly  the  lot 
of  the  world's  richest  man  was  far  from  being  an 
enviable  one. 

That  is  why  Jefferson  had  resolved'  to  strike  out  for 
himself.  He  had  warded  off  the  golden  yoke  which 
his  father  proposed  to  put  on  his  shoulders,  declining 
the  lucrative  position  made  for  him  in  the  Empire 
Trading  Company,  and  he  had  gone  so  far  as  to  refuse 
also  the  private  income  his  father  offered  to  settle  on 
him.  He  would  earn  his  own  living.  A  man  who  has 
his  bread  buttered  for  him  seldom  accomplishes  any- 


THE   LION  & 

thing  he  had  said,  and  while  his  father  had  appeared 
to  be  angry  at  this  open  opposition  to  his  will,  he  was 
secretly  pleased  at  his  son's  grit.  Jefferson  was 
thoroughly  in  earnest.  If  needs  be,  he  would  forego 
the  great  fortune  that  awaited  him  rather  than  be 
forced  into  questionable  business  methods  against 
which  his  whole  manhood  revolted. 

Jefferson  Ryder  felt  strongly  about  these  matters, 
and  gave  them  more  thought  than  would  be  expected 
of  most  young  men  with  his  opportunities.  In  fact, 
he  was  unusually  serious  for  his  age.  He  was  not  yet 
thirty,  but  he  had  done  a  great  deal  of  reading,  and  he 
took  a  keen  interest  in  all  the  political  and  sociologi 
cal  questions  of  the  hour.  In  personal  appearance,  he 
was  the  type  of  man  that  both  men  and  women  like — 
tall  and  athletic  looking,  with  smooth  face  and  clean- 
cut  features.  He  had  the  steel-blue  eyes  and  the  right 
ing  jaw  of  his  father,  and  when  he  smiled  he  displayed 
two  even  rows  of  very  white  teeth.  He  was  popular 
with  men,  being  manly,  frank  and  cordial  in  his  rela 
tions  with  them,  and  women  admired  him  greatly, 
although  they  were  somewhat  intimidated  by  his  grave 
and  serious  manner.  The  truth  was  that  he  was  rather 
diffident  with  women,  largely  owing  to  lack  of  ex 
perience  with  them. 

He  had  never  felt  the  slightest  inclination  for  busi- 


THE   MOUSE 

ness.  He  had  the  artistic  temperament  strongly  de 
veloped,  and  his  personal  tastes  had  little  in  common 
with  Wall  Street  and  its  feverish  stock  manipulating. 
When  he  was  younger,  he  had  dreamed  of  a  literary 
or  art  career.  At  one  time  he  had  even  thought  of 
going  on  the  stage.  But  it  was  to  art  that  he  turned 
finally.  From  an  early  age  he  had  shown  considerable 
skill  as  a  draughtsman,  and  later  a  two  years'  course 
at  the  Academy  of  Design  convinced  him  that  this  was 
his  true  vocation.  He  had  begun  by  illustrating  for 
the  book  publishers  and  for  the  magazines,  meeting  at 
first  with  the  usual  rebuffs  and  disappointments,  but, 
refusing  to  be  discouraged,  he  had  kept  on  and  soon 
the  tide  turned.  His  drawings  began  to  be  accepted. 
They  appeared  first  in  one  magazine,  then  in  another, 
until  one  day,  to  his  great  joy,  he  received  an  order 
from  an  important  firm  of  publishers  for  six  wash- 
drawings  to  be  used  in  illustrating  a  famous  novel. 
This  was  the  beginning  of  his  real  success.  His  illus 
trations  were  talked  about  almost  as  much  as  the  book, 
and  from  that  time  on  everything  was  easy.  He  was 
in  great  demand  by  the  publishers,  and  very  soon  the 
young  artist,  who  had  begun  his  career  of  independ 
ence  on  nothing  a  year  so  to  speak,  found  himself  in 
a  handsomely  appointed  studio  in  Bryant  Park,  with 
more  orders  coming  in  than  he  could  possibly  fill,  and 

65 


THE   LION  & 

enjoying  an  income  of  little  less  than  $5,000  a  year. 
The  money  was  all  the  sweeter  to  Jefferson  in  that  he 
felt  he  had  himself  earned  every  cent  of  it.  This 
summer  he  was  giving  himself  a  well-deserved  vaca 
tion,  and  he  had  come  to  Europe  partly  to  see  Paris 
and  the  other  art  centres  about  which  his  fellow  stu 
dents  at  the  Academy  raved,  but  principally — although 
this  he  did  not  acknowledge  even  to  himself — to  meet 
in  Paris  a  young  woman  in  whom  he  was  more  than 
ordinarily  interested — Shirley  Rossmore,  daughter  of 
Judge  Rossmore,  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court, 
who  had  come  abroad  to  recuperate  after  the  labours 
on  her  new  novel,  "  The  American  Octopus,"  a  book 
which  was  then  the  talk  of  two  hemispheres. 

Jefferson  had  read  half  a  dozen  reviews  of  it  in  as 
many  American  papers  that  afternoon  at  the  New  York 
Herald's  reading  room  in  the  Avenue  de  1'Opera,  and 
he  chuckled  with  glee  as  he  thought  how  accurately  this 
young  woman  had  described  his  father.  The  book  had 
been  published  under  the  pseudonym  "  Shirley  Green," 
and  he  alone  had  been  admitted  into  the  secret  of 
authorship.  The  critics  all  conceded  that  it  was  the 
book  of  the  year,  and  that  it  portrayed  with  a  pitiless 
pen  the  personality  of  the  biggest  figure  in  the  commer 
cial  life  of  America.  "  Although,"  wrote  one  reviewer, 
"  the  leading  character  in  the  book  is  given  another 

66 


THE   MOUSE 

name,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  author  intended 
to  give  to  the  world  a  vivid  pen  portrait  of  John 
Burkett  Ryder.  She  has  succeeded  in  presenting  a  re 
markable  character-study  of  the  most  remarkable  man 
of  his  time." 

He  was  particularly  pleased  with  the  reviews,  not 
only  for  Miss  Rossmore's  sake,  but  also  because  his 
own  vanity  was  gratified.  Had  he  not  collaborated 
on  the  book  to  the  extent  of  acquainting  the  author 
with  details  of  his  father's  life,  and  his  characteristics, 
which  no  outsider  could  possibly  have  learned  ?  There 
had  been  no  disloyalty  to  his  father  in  doing  this.  Jef 
ferson  admired  his  father's  smartness,  if  he  could  not 
approve  his  methods.  He  did  not  consider  the  book 
an  attack  on  his  father,  but  rather  a  powerfully  writ 
ten  pen  picture  of  an  extraordinary  man. 

Jefferson  had  met  Shirley  Rossmore  two  years  be 
fore  at  a  meeting  of  the  Schiller  Society,  a  pseudo- 
literary  organization  gotten  up  by  a  lot  of  old  fogies 
for  no  useful  purpose,  and  at  whose  monthly  meetings 
the  poet  who  gave  the  society  its  name  was  probably 
the  last  person  to  be  discussed.  He  had  gone  out  of 
curiosity,  anxious  to  take  in  all  the  freak  shows  New 
York  had  to  offer,  and  he  had  been  introduced  to  a  tall 
girl  with  a  pale,  thoughtful  face  and  firm  mouth.  She 
was  a  writer,  Miss  Rossmore  told  him,  and  this  was 


THE    LION   & 

her  first  visit  also  to  the  evening  receptions  of  the 
Schiller  Society.  Half  apologetically  she  added  that 
it  was  likely  to  be  her  last,  for,  frankly,  she  was  bored 
to  death.  But  she  explained  that  she  had  to  go  to  these 
affairs,  as  she  found  them  useful  in  gathering  material 
for  literary  use.  She  studied  types  and  eccentric  char 
acters,  and  this  seemed  to  her  a  capital  hunting  ground. 
Jefferson,  who,  as  a  rule,  was  timid  with  girls  and 
avoided  them,  found  this  girl  quite  unlike  the  others 
he  had  known.  Her  quiet,  forceful  demeanour  appealed 
to  him  strongly,  and  he  lingered  with  her,  chatting 
about  his  work,  which  had  so  many  interests  in 
common  with  her  own,  until  refreshments  were  served, 
when  the  affair  broke  up.  This  first  meeting  had  been 
followed  by  a  call  at  the  Rossmore  residence,  and  the 
acquaintance  had  kept  up  until  Jefferson,  for  the  first 
time  since  he  came  to  manhood,  was  surprised  and 
somewhat  alarmed  at  finding  himself  strangely  and 
unduly  interested  in  a  person  of  the  opposite  sex. 

The  young  artist's  courteous  manner,  his  serious 
outlook  on  life,  his  high  moral  principles,  so  rarely  met 
with  nowadays  in  young  men  of  his  age  and  class, 
could  hardly  fail  to  appeal  to  Shirley,  whose  ideals  of 
men  had  been  somewhat  rudely  shattered  by  those  she 
had  hitherto  met.  Above  all,  she  demanded  in  a  man 
the  refinement  of  the  true  gentleman,  together  with 

68 


THE    MOUSE 

strength  of  character  and  personal  courage.  That  Jef 
ferson  Ryder  came  up  to  this  standard  she  was  soon 
convinced.  He  was  certainly  a  gentleman:  his  views 
on  a  hundred  topics  of  the  hour  expressed  in  numer 
ous  conversations  assured  her  as  to  his  principles,  while 
a  glance  at  his  powerful  physique  left  no  doubt  possi 
ble  as  to  his  courage.  She  rightly  guessed  that  this 
was  no  poseur  trying  to  make  an  impression  and  gain 
her  confidence.  There  was  an  unmistakable  ring  of 
sincerity  in  all  his  words,,  and  his  struggle  at  home 
with  his  father,  and  his  subsequent  brave  and  success 
ful  fight  for  his  own  independence  and  self-respect, 
more  than  substantiated  all  her  theories.  And  the  more 
Shirley  let  her  mind  dwell  on  Jefferson  Ryder  and  his 
blue  eyes  and  serious  manner,  the  more  conscious  she 
became  that  the  artist  was  encroaching  more  upon  her 
thoughts  and  time  than  was  good  either  for  her  work 
or  for  herself. 

So  their  casual  acquaintance  grew  into  a  real  friend 
ship  and  comradeship.  Further  than  that  Shirley 
promised  herself  it  should  never  go.  Not  that  Jeffer 
son  had  given  her  the  slightest  hint  that  he  entertained 
the  idea  of  making  her  his  wife  one  day,  only  she  was 
sophisticated  enough  to  know  the  direction  in  which 
run  the  minds  of  men  who  are  abnormally  interested 
in  one  girl,  and  long  before  this  Shirley  had  made  up 


THE   LION  & 

her  mind  that  she  would  never  marry.  Firstly,  she 
was  devoted  to  her  father  and  could  not  bear  the 
thought  of  ever  leaving  him;  secondly,  she  was  fasci 
nated  by  her  literary  work  and  she  was  practical 
enough  to  know  that  matrimony,  with  its  visions  of 
slippers  and  cradles,  would  be  fatal  to  any  ambition  of 
that  kind.  She  liked  Jefferson  immensely — more,  per 
haps,  than  any  man  she  had  yet  met — and  she  did  not 
think  any  the  less  of  him  because  of  her  resolve  not  to 
get  entangled  in  the  meshes  of  Cupid.  In  any  case  he 
had  not  asked  her  to  marry  him — perhaps  the  idea  was 
far  from  his  thoughts.  Meantime,  she  could  enjoy  his 
friendship  freely  without  fear  of  embarrassing  en 
tanglements. 

When,  therefore,  she  first  conceived  the  idea  of  por 
traying  in  the  guise  of  fiction  the  personality  of  John 
Burkett  Ryder,  the  Colossus  of  finance  whose  vast  and 
ever-increasing  fortune  was  fast  becoming  a  public 
nuisance,  she  naturally  turned  to  Jefferson  for  assist 
ance.  She  wanted  to  write  a  book  that  would  be  talked 
about,  and  which  at  the  same  time  would  open  the 
eyes  of  the  public  to  this  growing  peril  in  their  midst 
—this  monster  of  insensate  and  unscrupulous  greed 
who,  by  sheer  weight  of  his  ill-gotten  gold,  was  cor 
rupting  legislators  and  judges  and  trying  to  enslave 
the  nation.  The  book,  she  argued,  would  perform  a 

70 


THE   MOUSE 

public  service  in  awakening  all  to  the  common  danger. 
Jefferson  fully  entered  into  her  views  and  had  fur 
nished  her  with  the  information  regarding  his  father 
that  she  deemed  of  value.  The  book  had  proven  a  suc 
cess  beyond  their  most  sanguine  expectations,  and 
Shirley  had  come  to  Europe  for  a  rest  after  the  many 
weary  months  of  work  that  it  took  to  write  it. 

The  acquaintance  of  his  son  with  the  daughter  of 
Judge  Rossmore  had  not  escaped  the  eagle  eye  of 
Ryder,  Sr.,  and  much  to  the  financier's  annoyance,  and 
even  consternation,,  he  had  ascertained  that  Jefferson 
was  a  frequent  caller  at  the  Rossmore  home.  He  im 
mediately  jumped  to  the  conclusion  that  this  could 
mean  only  one  thing,  and  fearing  what  he  termed  "  the 
consequences  of  the  insanity  of  immature  minds,"  he 
had  summoned  Jefferson  peremptorily  to  his  presence. 
He  told  his  son  that  all  idea  of  marriage  in  that  quar 
ter  was  out  of  the  question  for  two  reasons :  One  was 
that  Judge  Rossmore  was  his  most  bitter  enemy,  the 
other  was  that  he  had  hoped  to  see  his  son,  his  des 
tined  successor,  marry  a  woman  of  whom  he,  Ryder, 
Sr.,  could  approve.  He  knew  of  such  a  woman,  one 
who  would  make  a  far  more  desirable  mate  than  Miss 
Rossmore.  He  alluded,  of  course,  to  Kate  Roberts, 
the  pretty  daughter  of  his  old  friend,  the  Senator. 
The  family  interests  would  benefit  by  this  alliance, 


THE    LION  & 

which  was  desirable  from  every  point  of  view.  Jef 
ferson  had  listened  respectfully  until  his  father  had 
finished  and  then  grimly  remarked  that  only  one  point 
of  view  had  been  overlooked — his  own.  He  did  not 
care  for  Miss  Roberts;  he  did  not  think  she  really 
cared  for  him.  The  marriage  was  out  of  the  question. 
Whereupon  Ryder,  Sr.,  had  fumed  and  raged,  declar 
ing  that  Jefferson  was  opposing  his  will  as  he  always 
did,  and  ending  with  the  threat  that  if  his  son  married 
Shirley  Rossmore  without  his  consent  he  would  disin 
herit  him. 

Jefferson  was  cogitating  on  these  incidents  of  the 
last  few  months  when  suddenly  a  feminine  voice  which 
he  quickly  recognised  called  out  in  English : 

"  Hello  !  Mr.  Ryder." 

He  looked  up  and  saw  two  ladies,  one  young,  the 
other  middle  aged,  smiling  at  him  from  an  open  fiacre 
which  had  drawn  up  to  the  curb.  Jefferson  jumped 
from  his  seat,  upsetting  his  chair  and  startling  two 
nervous  Frenchmen  in  his  hurry,  and  hastened  out, 
hat  in  hand. 

"  Why,  Miss  Rossmore,  what  are  you  doing  out 
driving?  "  he  asked.  "  You  know  you  and  Mrs.  Blake 
promised  to  dine  with  me  to-night.  I  was  coming 
round  to  the  hotel  in  a  few  moments." 

Mrs.  Blake  was  a  younger  sister  of  Shirley's  mother. 
72 


THE   MOUSE 

Her  husband  had  died  a  few  years  previously,  leaving 
her  a  small  income,  and  when  she  had  heard  of  her 
niece's  contemplated  trip  to  Europe  she  had  decided 
to  come  to  Paris  to  meet  her  and  incidentally  to 
chaperone  her.  The  two  women  were  stopping  at  the 
Grand  Hotel  close  by,  while  Jefferson  had  found  ac 
commodations  at  the  Athenee. 

Shirley  explained.  Her  aunt  wanted  to  go  to  the 
dressmaker's,  and  she  herself  was  most  anxious  to  go 
to  the  Luxembourg  Gardens  to  hear  the  music.  Would 
he  take  her?  Then  they  could  meet  Mrs.  Blake  at  the 
hotel  at  seven  o'clock  and  all  go  to  dinner.  Was  he 
willing? 

Was  he?  Jefferson's  face  fairly  glowed.  He  ran 
back  to  his  table  on  the  terrasse  to  settle  for  his  Ver 
mouth,  astonished  the  waiter  by  not  stopping  to  notice 
the  short  change  he  gave  him,  and  rushed  back  to  the 
carriage. 

A  dirty  little  Italian  girl,  shrewd  enough  to  note  the 
young  man's  attention  to  the  younger  of  the  American 
women,  wheedled  up  to  the  carriage  and  thrust  a  bunch 
of  flowers  in  Jefferson's  face. 

"  Achetez  des  fteurs,  monsieur,  pour  la  jolie  dame?  " 
Down  went  Jefferson's  hand  in  his  pocket  and,  fill 
ing  the  child's  hand  with  small  silver,  he  flung  the 
flowers  in  the  carriage.     Then  he  turned  inquiringly 

73 


THE   LION  & 

to  Shirley  for  instructions  so  he  could  direct  the 
cocker.  Mrs.  Blake  said  she  would  get  out  here.  Her 
dressmaker  was  close  by,  in  the  Rue  Auber,  and  she 
would  walk  back  to  the  hotel  to  meet  them  at  seven 
o'clock.  Jefferson  assisted  her  to  alight  and  escorted 
her  as  far  as  the  porte-cochere  of  the  modiste's,  a 
couple  of  doors  away.  When  he  returned  to  the  car 
riage,  Shirley  had  already  told  the  coachman  where  to 
go.  He  got  in  and  the  fiacre  started. 

"  Now,"  said  Shirley,  "  tell  me  what  you  have  been 
doing  with  yourself  all  day." 

Jefferson  was  busily  arranging  the  faded  carriage 
rug  about  Shirley,  spending  more  time  in  the  task  per 
haps  than  was  absolutely  necessary,  and  she  had  to  re 
peat  the  question. 

"  Doing?  "  he  echoed  with  a  smile,  "  I've  been  doing 
two  things — waiting  impatiently  for  seven  o'clock  and 
incidentally  reading  the  notices  of  your  book." 


74 


THE   MOUSE 


CHAPTER   IV 

TELL  me,  what  do  the  papers  say ?  " 
Settling  herself  comfortably  back  in  the 
carriage,   Shirley  questioned  Jefferson  with 
eagerness,  even  anxiety.     She  had  been  impatiently 
awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  newspapers  from  "  home," 
for  so  much  depended  on  this  first  effort.     She  knew 
her  book  had  been  praised  in  some  quarters,  and  her 
publishers  had  written  her  that  the  sales  were  bigger 
every  day,  but  she  was  curious  to  learn  how  it  had 
been  received  by  the  reviewers. 

In  truth,  it  had  been  no  slight  achievement  for  a 
young  writer  of  her  inexperience,  a  mere  tyro  in  litera 
ture,  to  attract  so  much  attention  with  her  first  book. 
The  success  almost  threatened  to  turn  her  head,  she 
had  told  her  aunt  laughingly,  although  she  was  sure 
it  could  never  do  that.  She  fully  realized  that  it  was 
the  subject  rather  than  the  skill  of  the  narrator  that 
counted  in  the  book's  success,  also  the  fact  that  it  had 
come  out  at  a  timely  moment,  when  the  whole  world 
was  talking  of  the  Money  Peril.  Had  not  President 
Roosevelt,  in  a  recent  sensational  speech,  declared  that 

75 


THE    LION  & 

it  might  be  necessary  for  the  State  to  curb  the  colossal 
fortunes  of  America,  and  was  not  her  hero,  John  Burk- 
ett  Ryder,  the  richest  of  them  all?  Any  way  they 
looked  at  it,  the  success  of  the  book  was  most  grati 
fying. 

While  she  was  an  attractive,  aristocratic-looking 
girl,  Shirley  Rossmore  had  no  serious  claims  to  aca 
demic  beauty.  Her  features  were  irregular,  and  the 
firm  and  rather  thin  mouth  lines  disturbed  the  har 
mony  indispensable  to  plastic  beauty.  Yet  there  was 
in  her  face  something  far  more  appealing — soul  and 
character.  The  face  of  the  merely  beautiful  woman 
expresses  nothing,  promises  nothing.  It  presents  ab 
solutely  no  key  to  the  soul  within,  and  often  there  is 
no  soul  within  to  have  a  key  to.  Perfect  in  its  out 
lines  and  coloring,  it  is  a  delight  to  gaze  upon,  just 
as  is  a  flawless  piece  of  sculpture,  yet  the  delight  is 
only  fleeting.  One  soon  grows  satiated,  no  matter  how 
beautiful  the  face  may  be,  because  it  is  always  the 
same,  expressionless  and-  soulless.  "  Beauty  is  only 
skin  deep,"  said  the  philosopher,  and  no  truer  dictum 
was  ever  uttered.  The  merely  beautiful  woman,  who 
possesses  only  beauty  and  nothing  else,  is  kept  so  busy 
thinking  of  her  looks,  and  is  so  anxious  to  observe 
the  impression  her  beauty  makes  on  others,  that  she 
has  neither  the  time  nor  the  inclination  for  matters 

76 


THE    MOUSE 

of  greater  importance.  Sensible  men,  as  a  rule,  do 
not  lose  their  hearts  to  women  whose  only  assets  are 
their  good  looks.  They  enjoy  a  flirtation  with  them, 
but  seldom  care  to  make  them  their  wives.  The  mar 
rying  man  is  shrewd  enough  to  realize  that  domestic 
virtues  will  be  more  useful  in  his  household  economy 
than  all  the  academic  beauty  ever  chiselled  out  of  block 
marble. 

Shirley  was  not  beautiful,  but  hers  was  a  face  that 
never  failed  to  attract  attention.  It  was  a  thoughtful 
and  interesting  face,  with  an  intellectual  brow  and 
large,  expressive  eyes,  the  face  of  a  woman  who  had 
both  brain  power  and  ideals,  and  yet  who,  at  the  same 
time,  was  in  perfect  sympathy  with  the  world.  She 
was  fair  in  complexion,  and  her  fine  brown  eyes,  al 
ternately  reflective  and  alert,  were  shaded  by  long 
dark  lashes.  Her  eyebrows  were  delicately  arched, 
and  she  had  a  good  nose.  She  wore  her  hair  well  off 
the  forehead,  which  was  broader  than  in  the  average 
woman,  suggesting  good  mentality.  Her  mouth,  how 
ever,  was  her  strongest  feature.  It  was  well  shaped, 
but  there  were  firm  lines  about  it  that  suggested  un 
usual  will  power.  Yet  it  smiled  readily,  and  when  it 
did  there  was  an  agreeable  vision  of  strong,  healthy- 
looking  teeth  of  dazzling  whiteness.  She  was  a  little 
over  medium  height  and  slender  in  figure,  and  carried 

77 


THE   LION  & 

herself  with  that  unmistakable  air  of  well-bred  inde 
pendence  that  bespeaks  birth  and  culture.  She  dressed 
stylishly,  and  while  her  gowns  were  of  rich  material, 
and  of  a  cut  suggesting  expensive  modistes,  she  was 
always  so  quietly  attired  and  in  such  perfect  taste, 
that  after  leaving  her  one  could  never  recall  what  she 
had  on. 

At  the  special  request  of  Shirley,  who  wanted  to 
get  a  glimpse  of  the  Latin  Quarter,  the  driver  took  a 
course  down  the  Avenue  de  1'Opera,  that  magnificent 
thoroughfare  which  starts  at  the  Opera  and  ends  at 
the  Theatre  Frangais,  and  which,  like  many  others 
that  go  to  the  beautifying  of  the  capital,  the  Parisians 
owe  to  the  much-despised  Napoleon  III.  The  cab, 
Jefferson  told  her,  would  skirt  the  Palais  Royal  and 
follow  the  Rue  de  Rivoli  until  it  came  to  the  Chatelet, 
when  it  would  cross  the  Seine  and  drive  up  the  Boule 
vard  St.  Michel — the  students'  boulevard — until  it 
reached  the  Luxembourg  Gardens.  Like  most  of  his 
kind,  the  cocker  knew  less  than  nothing  of  the  art  of 
driving,  and  he  ran  a  reckless,  zig-zag  flight,  in  and 
out,  forcing  his  way  through  a  confusing  maze  of 
vehicles  of  every  description,  pulling  first  to  the  right, 
then  to  the  left,  for  no  good  purpose  that  was  appar 
ent,  and  averting  only  by  the  narrowest  of  margins 
half  a  dozen  bad  collisions.  At  times  the  fiacre 

78 


THE   MOUSE 

lurched  in  such  alarming  fashion  that  Shirley  was 
visibly  perturbed,  but  when  Jefferson  assured  her  that 
all  Paris  cabs  travelled  in  this  crazy  fashion  and  noth 
ing  ever  happened,  she  was  comforted. 

"Tell  me/'  he  repeated,  "what  do  the  papers  say 
about  the  book?" 

"  Say  ?  "  he  echoed.  "  Why,  simply  that  you've 
written  the  biggest  book  of  the  year,  that's  all !  " 

"  Really !  Oh,  do  tell  me  all  they  said !  "  She  was 
fairly  excited  now,  and  in  her  enthusiasm  she  grasped 
Jefferson's  broad,  sunburnt  hand  which  was  lying  out 
side  the  carriage  rug.  He  tried  to  appear  unconscious 
of  the  contact,  which  made  his  every  nerve  tingle,  as 
he  proceeded  to  tell  her  the  gist  of  the  reviews  he  had 
read  that  afternoon. 

"  Isn't  that  splendid !  "  she  exclaimed,  when  he  had 
finished.  Then  she  added  quickly: 

"  I  wonder  if  your  father  has  seen  it?  " 

Jefferson  grinned.  He  had  something  on  his  con 
science,  and  this  was  a  good  opportunity  to  get  rid  of 
it.  He  replied  laconically : 

"  He  probably  has  read  it  by  this  time.  I  sent  him 
a  copy  myself." 

The  instant  the  words  were  out  of  his  mouth  he  was 
sorry,  for  Shirley's  face  had  changed  colour. 

"  You  sent  him  a  copy  of  '  The  American  Octo- 
79 


THE  LION  & 

pus  ?  '  "  she  cried.     "  Then  he'll  guess  who  wrote  the 
book." 

"  Oh,  no,  he  won't,"  rejoined  Jefferson  calmly.  "  He 
has  no  idea  who  sent  it  to  him.  I  mailed  it  anony 
mously." 

Shirley  breathed  a  sigh  of  relief.  It  was  so  im 
portant  that  her  identity  should  remain  a  secret.  As 
daughter  of  a  Supreme  Court  judge  she  had  to  be 
most  careful.  She  would  not  embarrass  her  father  for 
anything  in  the  world.  But  it  was  smart  of  Jefferson 
to  have  sent  Ryder,  Sr.,  the  book,  so  she  smiled  gra 
ciously  on  his  son  as  she  asked : 

"  How  do  you  know  he  got  it  ?  So  many  letters 
and  packages  are  sent  to  him  that  he  never  sees  him 
self." 

"  Oh,  he  saw  your  book  all  right,"  laughed  Jeffer 
son.  "  I  was  around  the  house  a  good  deal  before 
sailing,  and  one  day  I  caught  him  in  the  library  read 
ing  it." 

They  both  laughed,  feeling  like  mischievous  chil 
dren  who  had  played  a  successful  trick  on  the  hokey- 
pokey  man.  Jefferson  noted  his  companion's  pretty 
dimples  and  fine  teeth,  and  he  thought  how  attractive 
she  was,  and  stronger  and  stronger  grew  the  idea 
within  him  that  this  was  the  woman  who  was  in 
tended  by  Nature  to  share  his  life.  Her  slender  hand 

So 


THE    MOUSE 

still  covered  his  broad,  sunburnt  one,  and  he  fancied 
he  felt  a  slight  pressure.  But  he  was  mistaken.  Not 
the  slightest  sentiment  entered  into  Shirley's  thoughts 
of  Jefferson.  She  regarded  him  only  as  a  good  com 
rade  with  whom  she  had  secrets  she  confided  in  no 
one  else.  To  that  extent  and  to  that  extent  alone 
he  was  privileged  above  other  men.  Suddenly  he  asked 
her: 

"  Have  you  heard  from  home  recently  ?  " 
A  soft  light  stole  into  the  girl's  face.  Home !  Ah, 
that  was  all  she  needed  to  make  her  cup  of  happiness 
full.  Intoxicated  with  this  new  sensation  of  a  first 
literary  success,  full  of  the  keen  pleasure  this  visit  to 
the  beautiful  city  was  giving  her,  bubbling  over  with 
the  joy  of  life,  happy  in  the  almost  daily  companion 
ship  of  the  man  she  liked  most  in  the  world  after  her 
father,  there  was  only  one  thing  lacking — home !  She 
had  left  New  York  only  a  month  before,  and  she  was 
homesick  already.  Her  father  she  missed  most.  She 
was  fond  of  her  mother,  too,  but  the  latter,  being  some 
what  of  a  nervous  invalid,  had  never  been  to  her  quite 
what  her  father  had  been.  The  playmate  of  her  child 
hood,  companion  of  her  girlhood,  her  friend  and  ad 
viser  in  womanhood,  Judge  Rossmore  was  to  his 
daughter  the  ideal  man  and  father.  Answering  Jef 
ferson's  question  she  said: 

81 


THE   LION  & 

"  I  had  a  letter  from  father  last  week.  Everything 
was  going  on  at  home  as  when  I  left.  Father  says  he 
misses  me  sadly,  and  that  mother  is  ailing  as  usual." 

She  smiled,  and  Jefferson  smiled  too.  They  both 
knew  by  experience  that  nothing  really  serious  ailed 
Mrs.  Rossmore,  who  was  a  good  deal  of  a  hypochon 
driac,  and  always  so  rilled  with  aches  and  pains  that, 
on  the  few  occasions  when  she  really  felt  well,  she  was 
genuinely  alarmed. 

The  -fiacre  by  this  time  had  emerged  from  the  Rue 
de  Rivoli  and  was  rolling  smoothly  along  the  fine 
wooden  pavement  in  front  of  the  historic  Conciergerie 
prison  where  Marie  Antoinette  was  confined  before 
her  execution.  Presently  they  recrossed  the  Seine, 
and  the  cab,  dodging  the  tram  car  rails,  proceeded  at 
a  smart  pace  up  the  "  Boul'  Mich',''  which  is  the  fa 
miliar  diminutive  bestowed  by  the  students  upon  that 
broad  avenue  which  traverses  the  very  heart  of  their 
beloved  Quartier  Latin.  On  the  left  frowned  the 
scholastic  walls  of  the  learned  Sorbonne,  in  the  dis 
tance  towered  the  majestic  dome  of  the  Pantheon 
where  Rousseau,  Voltaire  and  Hugo  lay  buried. 

Like  most  of  the  principal  arteries  of  the  French 
capital,  the  boulevard  was  generously  lined  with  trees, 
now  in  full  bloom,  and  the  sidewalks  fairly  seethed 
with  a  picturesque  throng  in  which  mingled  promis- 

82 


THE   MOUSE 

£uously  frivolous  students,  dapper  shop  clerks,  sober 
citizens,  and  frisky,  flirtatious  little  ouwieres,  these 
last  being  all  hatless,  as  is  characteristic  of  the  work- 
girl  class,  but  singularly  attractive  in  their  neat  black 
dresses  and  dainty  low-cut  shoes.  There  was  also 
much  in  evidence  another  type  of  female  whose  ex 
travagance  of  costume  and  boldness  of  manner  loudly 
proclaimed  her  ancient  profession. 

On  either  side  of  the  boulevard  were  shops  and 
cafes,  mostly  cafes,  with  every  now  and  then  a  bras 
serie,  or  beer  hall.  Seated  in  front  of  these  estab 
lishments,  taking  their  ease  as  if  beer  sampling 
constituted  the  only  real  interest  in  their  lives,  were 
hundreds  of  students,  reckless  and  dare-devil,  and  sug 
gesting  almost  anything  except  serious  study.  They 
all  wore  frock  coats  and  tall  silk  hats,  and  some  of 
the  latter  were  wonderful  specimens  of  the  hatter's 
art.  A  few  of  the  more  eccentric  students  had  long 
hair  down  to  their  shoulders,  and  wore  baggy  peg-top 
trousers  of  extravagant  cut,  which  hung  in  loose  folds 
over  their  sharp-pointed  boots.  On  their  heads  were 
queer  plug  hats  with  flat  brims. 

Shirley  laughed  outright  and  regretted  that  she  did 
not  have  her  kodak  to  take  back  to  America  some  idea 
of  their  grotesque  appearance,  and  she  listened  with 
amused  interest  as  Jefferson  explained  that  these  men 

83 


THE   LION  & 

were  notorious  poseurs,  aping  the  dress  and  manners 
of  the  old-time  student  as  he  flourished  in  the  days  of 
Randolph  and  Mimi  and  the  other  immortal  charac 
ters  of  Murger's  Bohemia.  Nobody  took  them  seri 
ously  except  themselves,  and  for  the  most  part  they 
were  bad  rhymesters  of  decadent  verse.  Shirley  was 
astonished  to  see  so  many  of  them  busily  engaged 
smoking  cigarettes  and  imbibing  glasses  of  a  pale- 
green  beverage,  which  Jefferson  told  her  was  absinthe. 

"  When  do  they  read  ?  "  she  asked.  "  When  do  they 
attend  lectures  ?  " 

"  Oh,"  laughed  Jefferson,  "  only  the  old-fashioned 
students  take  their  studies  seriously.  Most  of  the  men 
you  see  there  are  from  the  provinces,  seeing  Paris  for 
the  first  time,  and  having  their  fling.  Incidentally 
they  are  studying  life.  When  they  have  sown  their 
wild  oats  and  learned  all  about  life — provided  they  are 
still  alive  and  have  any  money  left — they  will  begin 
to  study  books.  You  would  be  surprised  to  know  how 
many  of  these  young  men,  who  have  been  sent  to  the 
University  at  a  cost  of  goodness  knows  what  sacri 
fices,  return  to  their  native  towns  in  a  few  months 
wrecked  in  body  and  mind,  without  having  once  set 
foot  in  a  lecture  room,  and,  in  fact,  having  done  noth 
ing  except  inscribe  their  names  on  the  rolls." 

Shirley  was  glad  she  knew  no  such  men,  and  if  slie 


THE   MOUSE 

ever  married  and  had  a  son  she  would  pray  God  to 
spare  her  that  grief  and  humiliation.  She  herself 
knew  something  about  the  sacrifices  parents  make  to 
secure  a  college  education  for  their  children.  Her 
father  had  sent  her  to  Vassar.  She  was  a  product  of 
the  much-sneered-at  higher  education  for  women,  and 
all  her  life  she  would  be  grateful  for  the  advantages 
given  her.  Her  liberal  education  had  broadened  her 
outlook  on  life  and  enabled  her  to  accomplish  the  little 
she  had.  When  she  graduated  her  father  had  left 
her  free  to  follow  her  own  inclinations.  She  had  little 
taste  for  social  distractions,  and  still  she  could  not 
remain  idle.  For  a  time  she  thought  of  teaching  to 
occupy  her  mind,  but  she  knew  she  lacked  the  neces 
sary  patience,  and  she  could  not  endure  the  drudgery 
of  it,  so,  having  won  honors  at  college  in  English 
composition,  she  determined  to  try  her  hand  at  litera 
ture.  She  wrote  a  number  of  essays  and  articles  on 
a  hundred  different  subjects  which  she  sent  to  the 
magazines,  but  they  all  came  back  with  politely  worded 
excuses  for  their  rejection.  But  Shirley  kept  right 
on.  She  knew  she  wrote  well;  it  must  be  that  her 
subjects  were  not  suitable.  So  she  adopted  new  tac 
tics,  and  persevered  until  one  day  came  a  letter  of  ac 
ceptance  from  the  editor  of  one  of  the  minor  maga 
zines.  Thev,  would  take  the  article  offered — a  sketch 

85 


THE   LION  & 

of  college  life — and  as  many  more  in  similar  vein  as 
Miss  Rossmore  could  write.  This  success  had  been 
followed  by  other  acceptances  and  other  commissions, 
until  at  the  present  time  she  was  a  well-known  writer 
for  the  leading  publications.  Her  great  ambition  had 
been  to  write  a  book,  and  "  The  American  Octopus," 
published  under  an  assumed  name,  was  the  result. 

The  cab  stopped  suddenly  in  front  of  beautiful 
gilded  gates.  It  was  the  Luxembourg,  and  through 
the  tall  railings  they  caught  a  glimpse  of  well-kept 
lawns,  splashing  fountains  and  richly  dressed  children 
playing.  From  the  distance  came  the  stirring  strains 
of  a  brass  band. 

The  coachman  drove  up  to  the  curb  and  Jefferson 
jumped  down,  assisting  Shirley  to  alight.  In  spite  of 
Shirley's  protest  Jefferson  insisted  on  paying. 

"  Combien?"  he  asked  the  cocker. 

The  jehu,  a  surly,  thick-set  man  with  a  red  face  and 
small,  cunning  eyes  like  a  ferret,  had  already  sized  up 
his  fares  for  two  sacre  foreigners  whom  it  would  be 
flying  in  the  face  of  Providence  not  to  cheat,,  so  with 
unblushing  effrontery  he  answered : 

"  Dix  francs,  Monsieur!"  And  he  held  up  ten 
fingers  by  way  of  illustration. 

Jefferson  was  about  to  hand  up  a  ten-franc  piece 
when  Shirley  indignantly  interfered.  She  would  not 

86 


THE   MOUSE 

submit  to  such  an  imposition.  There  was  a  regular 
tariff  and  she  would  pay  that  and  nothing  more.  So, 
in  better  French  than  was  at  Jefferson's  command,  she 
exclaimed : 

"Ten  francs?  Pourquoi  dix  francs?  I  took  your 
cab  by  the  hour.  It  is  exactly  two  hours.  That  makes 
four  francs."  Then  to  Jefferson  she  added :  "  Give 
him  a  franc  for  a  pourboire — that  makes  five  francs 
altogether." 

Jefferson,  obedient  to  her  superior  wisdom,  held  out 
a  five-franc  piece,  but  the  driver  shrugged  his  shoul 
ders  disdainfully.  He  saw  that  the  moment  had  come  to 
bluster  so  he  descended  from  his  box  fully  prepared 
to  carry  out  his  bluff.  He  started  in  to  abuse  the  two 
Americans  whom  in  his  ignorance  he  took  for  English. 

"Ah,  you  sale  Anglais!  You  come  to  France  to 
cheat  the  poor  Frenchman.  You  make  me  work  all 
afternoon  and  then  pay  me  nothing.  Not  with  this 
coco !  I  know  my  rights  and  I'll  get  them,  too." 

All  this  was  hurled  at  them  in  a  patois  French,  al 
most  unintelligible  to  Shirley,  and  wholly  so  to  Jeffer 
son.  All  he  knew  was  that  the  fellow's  attitude  was 
becoming  unbearably  insolent  and  he  stepped  forward 
with  a  gleam  in  his  eye  that  might  have  startled  the 
man  had  he  not  been  so  busy  shaking  his  fist  at  Shir- 


THE   LION  & 

ley.    But  she  saw  Jefferson's  movement  and  laid  her 
hand  on  his  arm. 

"No,  no,  Mr.  Ryder— no  scandal,  please.  Look, 
people  are  beginning  to  come  up !  Leave  him  to  me. 
I  know  how  to  manage  him." 

With  this  the  daughter  of  a  United  States  Supreme 
Court  judge  proceeded  to  lay  down  the  law  to  the 
representative  of  the  most  lazy  and  irresponsible  class 
of  men  ever  let  loose  in  the  streets  of  a  civilised  com 
munity.  Speaking  with  an  air  of  authority,  she  said : 

"  Now  look  here,  my  man,  we  have  no  time  to  bandy 
words  here  with  you.  I  took  your  cab  at  3.30.  It  is 
now  5.30.  That  makes  two  hours.  The  rate  is  two 
francs  an  hour,  or  four  francs  in  all.  We  offer  you 
five  francs,  and  this  includes  a  franc  pourboire.  If 
this  settlement  does  not  suit  you  we  will  get  into  your 
cab  and  you  will  drive  us  to  the  nearest  police-station 
where  the  argument  can  be  continued." 

The  man's  jaw  dropped.  He  was  obviously  out 
classed.  These  foreigners  knew  the  law  as  well  as  he 
did.  He  had  no  desire  to  accept  Shirley's  suggestion 
of  a  trip  to  the  police-station,  where  he  knew  he  would 
get  little  sympathy,  so,  grumbling  and  giving  vent 
under  his  breath  to  a  volley  of  strange  oaths,  he 
grabbed  viciously  at  the  five-franc  piece  Jefferson  held 
out  and,  mounting  his  box,  drove  off. 

88 


THE   MOUSE 

Proud  of  their  victory,  they  entered  the  gardens, 
following  the  sweet-scented  paths  until  they  came  to 
where  the  music  was.  The  band  of  an  infantry  regi 
ment  was  playing,  and  a  large  crowd  had  gathered. 
Many  people  were  sitting  on  the  chairs  provided  for 
visitors  for  the  modest  fee  of  two  sous;  others  were 
promenading  round  and  round  a  great  circle  having 
the  musicians  in  its  centre.  The  dense  foliage  of  the 
trees  overhead  afforded  a  perfect  shelter  from  the  hot 
rays  of  the  sun,  and  the  place  was  so  inviting  and  in 
teresting,  so  cool  and  so  full  of  sweet  perfumes  and 
sounds,  appealing  to  and  satisfying  the  senses,  that 
Shirley  wished  they  had  more  time  to  spend  there. 
She  was  very  fond  of  a  good  brass  band,  especially 
when  heard  in  the  open  air.  They  were  playing 
Strauss's  Blue  Danube,  and  the  familiar  strains  of  the 
delightful  waltz  were  so  infectious  that  both  were 
seized  by  a  desire  to  get  up  and  dance. 

There  was  constant  amusement,  too,  watching  the 
crowd,  with  its  many  original  and  curious  types. 
There  were  serious  college  professors,  with  gold- 
rimmed  spectacles,  buxom  nounous  in  their  uniform 
cloaks  and  long  ribbon  streamers,  nicely  dressed  chil 
dren  romping  merrily  but  not  noisily,  more  queer- 
looking  students  in  shabby  frock  coats,  tight  at  the 
waist,  trousers  too  short,  and  comical  hats,  stylishly 


THE    LION  & 

dressed  women  displaying  the  latest  fashions,  bril 
liantly  uniformed  army  officers  strutting  proudly, 
dangling  their  swords — an  attractive  and  interesting 
crowd,  so  different,  thought  the  two  Americans,  from 
the  cheap,  evil-smelling,  ill-mannered  mob  of  aliens 
that  invades  their  own  Central  Park  the  days  when 
there  is  music,  making  it  a  nuisance  instead  of  a 
pleasure.  Here  everyone  belonged  apparently  to  the 
better  class ;  the  women  and  children  were  richly  and 
fashionably  dressed,  the  officers  looked  smart  in  their 
multi-coloured  uniforms,  and,  no  matter  how  one  might 
laugh  at  the  students,  there  was  an  atmosphere  of 
good-breeding  and  refinement  everywhere  which  Shir 
ley  was  not  accustomed  to  see  in  public  places  at  home. 
A  sprinkling  of  workmen  and  people  of  the  poorer 
class  were  to  be  seen  here  and  there,  but  they  were 
in  the  decided  minority.  Shirley,  herself  a  daughter 
of  the  Revolution,  was  a  staunch  supporter  of  the  im 
mortal  principles  of  Democracy  and  of  the  equality 
of  man  before  the  law.  But  all  other  talk  of  equality 
was  the  greatest  sophistry  and  charlatanism.  There 
could  be  no  real  equality  so  long  as  some  people  were 
cultured  and  refined  and  others  were  uneducated  and 
vulgar.  Shirley  believed  in  an  aristocracy  of  brains 
and  soap.  She  insisted  that  no  clean  person,  no  mat 
ter  how  good  a  democrat,  should  be  expected  to  sit 

90 


THE   MOUSE 

close  in  public  places  to  persons  who  were  not  on 
speaking  terms  with  the  bath-tub.  In  America  this 
foolish  theory  of  a  democracy,  which  insists  on  throw 
ing  all  classes,  the  clean  and  the  unclean,  promiscuously 
together,  was  positively  revolting,  making  travelling 
in  the  public  vehicles  almost  impossible,  and  it  was  not 
much  better  in  the  public  parks.  In  France — also  a 
Republic — where  they  likewise  paraded  conspicuously 
the  clap-trap  "  Egalite,  Fraternite,"  they  managed 
these  things  far  better.  The  French  lower  classes 
knew  their  place.  They  did  not  ape  the  dress,  nor 
frequent  the  resorts  of  those  above  them  in  the  social 
scale.  The  distinction  between  the  classes  was  plainly 
and  properly  marked,  yet  this  was  not  antagonistic 
to  the  ideal  of  true  democracy;  it  had  not  prevented 
the  son  of  a  peasant  from  becoming  President  of  the 
French  Republic.  Each  district  in  Paris  had  its  own 
amusement,  its  own  theatres,  its  own  parks.  It  was 
not  a  question  of  capital  refusing  to  fraternize  with 
labour,  but  the  very  natural  desire  of  persons  of  re 
finement  to  mingle  with  clean  people  rather  than  to 
rub  elbows  with  the  Great  Unwashed. 

"  Isn't  it  delightful  here?  "  said  Shirley.     "  I  could 
stay  here  forever,  couldn't  you  ?  " 

"  With  you — yes,"  answered  Jefferson,  with  a  sig 
nificant  smile. 

91 


THE   LION  & 

Shirley  tried  to  look  angry.  She  strictly  discour 
aged  these  conventional,  sentimental  speeches  which 
constantly  flung  her  sex  in  her  face. 

"  Now,  you  know  I  don't  like  you  to  talk  that  way, 
Mr.  Ryder.  It's  most  undignified.  Please  be  sen 
sible." 

Quite  subdued,  Jefferson  relapsed  into  a  sulky  si 
lence.  Presently  he  said : 

"  I  wish  you  wouldn't  call  me  Mr.  Ryder.  I  meant 
to  ask  you  this  before.  You  know  very  well  that 
you've  no  great  love  for  the  name,  and  if  you  persist 
you'll  end  by  including  me  in  your  hatred  of  the  hero 
of  your  book/ 

Shirley  looked  at  him  with  amused  curiosity. 
"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  she  asked.     "  What  do  you 
want  me  to  call  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know,"  he  stammered,  rather  intimi 
dated  by  this  self-possessed  young  woman  who  looked 
him  calmly  through  and  through.  "  Why  not  call  me 
Jefferson?  Mr.  Ryder  is  so  formal." 

Shirley  laughed  outright,  a  merry,  unrestrained  peal 
of  honest  laughter,  which  made  the  passers-by  turn 
their  heads  and  smile,  too,  commenting  the  while  on 
the  stylish  appearance  of  the  two  Americans  whom, 
they  took  for  sweethearts.  After  all,  reasoned  Shirley, 
he  was  right.  They  had  been  together  now  nearly 

92 


THE   MOUSE 

every  hour  in  the  day  for  over  a  month.  It  was  ab 
surd  to  call  him  Mr.  Ryder.  So,  addressing  him  with 
mock  gravity,  she  said : 

"You're  right,  Mr.  Ryder— I  mean  Jefferson. 
You're  quite  right.  You  are  Jefferson  from  this  time 
on,  only  remember  "—here  she  shook  her  gloved  finger 
at  him  warningly— "  mind  you  behave  yourself!  No 
more  such  sentimental  speeches  as  you  made  just  now." 
Jefferson  beamed.  He  felt  at  least  two  inches  taller, 
and  at  that  moment  he  would  not  have  changed  places 
with  any  one  in  the  world.  To  hide  the  embarrassment 
his  gratification  caused  him  he  pulled  out  his  watch 
and  exclaimed: 

"  Why,  it's  a  quarter  past  six.  We  shall  have  all 
we  can  do  to  get  back  to  the  hotel  and  dress  for  din 
ner." 

Shirley  rose  at  once,  although  loath  to  leave. 
"  I  had  no  idea  it  was  so  late,"  she  said.     "  How  the 
time  flies !  "    Then  mockingly  she  added :  "  Come,  Jef 
ferson — be  a  good  boy  and  find  a  cab." 

They  passed  out  of  the  Gardens  by  the  gate  facing 
the  Theatre  de  1'Odeon,  where  there  was  a  long  string 
of  fiacres  for  hire.  They  got  into  one  and  in  fifteen 
minutes  they  were  back  at  the  Grand  Hotel. 

At  the  office  they  told  Shirley  that  her  aunt  had 
already  come  in  and  gone  to  her  room,  so  she  hurried 

93 


THE    LION  & 

upstairs  to  dress  for  dinner  while  Jefferson  proceeded 
to  the  Hotel  de  1'Athenee  on  the  same  mission.  He 
had  still  twenty-five  minutes  before  dinner  time,  and 
he  needed  only  ten  minutes  for  a  wash  and  to  jump 
into  his  dress  suit,  so,  instead  of  going  directly  to  his 
hotel,  he  sat  down  at  the  Cafe  de  la  Paix.  He  was 
thirsty,  and  calling  for  a  vermouth  frappe  he  told  the 
gargon  to  bring  him  also  the  American  papers. 

The  crowd  on  the  boulevard  was  denser  than  ever. 
The  business  offices  and  some  of  the  shops  were  clos 
ing,  and  a  vast  army  of  employes,  homeward  bound, 
helped  to  swell  the  sea  of  humanity  that  pushed  this 
way  and  that. 

But  Jefferson  had  no  eyes  for  the  crowd.  He  was 
thinking  of  Shirley.  What  singular,  mysterious  power 
had  this  girl  acquired  over  him?  He,  who  had 
scoffed  at  the  very  idea  of  marriage  only  a  few  months 
before,  now  desired  it  ardently,  anxiously!  Yes,  that 
was  what  his  life  lacked — such  a  woman  to  be  his  com 
panion  and  helpmate!  He  loved  her — there  was  no 
doubt  of  that.  His  every  thought,  waking  and  sleep 
ing,  was  of  her,  all  his  plans  for  the  future  included 
her.  He  would  win  her  if  any  man  could.  But  did  she 
care  for  him?  Ah,  that  was  the  cruel,  torturing  un 
certainty  !  She  appeared  cold  and  indifferent,  but  per- 

94 


THE   MOUSE 

haps  she  was  only  trying  him.    Certainly  she  did  not 
seem  to  dislike  him. 

The  waiter  returned  with  the  vermouth  and  the 
newspapers.  All  he  could  find  were  the  London 
Times,  which  he  pronounced  T-e-e-m-s,  and  some 
issues  of  the  New  York  Herald.  The  papers  were 
nearly  a  month  old,  but  he  did  not  care  for  that.  Jef 
ferson  idly  turned  over  the  pages  of  the  Herald.  His 
thoughts  were  still  running  on  Shirley,  and  he  was 
paying  little  attention  to  what  he  was  reading.  Sud 
denly,  however,  his  eyes  rested  on  a  headline  which 
made  him  sit  up  with  a  start.  It  read  as  follows : 

JUDGE  ROSSMORE  IMPEACHED 

JUSTICE    OF    THE    SUPREME     COURT    TO    BE    TRIED    ON 
BRIBERY    CHARGES 

The  despatch,  which  was  dated  Washington  two 
weeks  back,  went  on  to  say  that  serious  charges 
affecting  the  integrity  of  Judge  Rossmore  had  been 
made  the  subject  of  Congressional  inquiry,  and  that 
the  result  of  the  inquiry  was  so  grave  that  a  demand 
for  impeachment  would  be  at  once  sent  to  the  Senate. 
It  added  that  the  charges  grew  out  of  the  recent  de 
cision  in  the  Great  Northwestern  Mining  Company 
case,  it  being  alleged  that  Judge  Rossmore  had  ac- 

95 


THE    LION  & 

cepted  a  large  sum  of  money  on  condition  of  his 
handing  down  a  decision  favourable  to  the  company. 

Jefferson  was  thunderstruck.  He  read  the  despatch 
over  again  to  make  sure  there  was  no  mistake.  No, 
it  was  very  plain — Judge  Rossmore  of  Madison  Ave 
nue.  But  how  preposterous,  what  a  calumny!  The 
one  judge  on  the  bench  at  whom  one  could  point  and 
say  with  absolute  conviction :  "There  goes  an  honest 
man !  "  And  this  judge  was  to  be  tried  on  a  charge 
of  bribery !  What  could  be  the  meaning  of  it?  Some 
thing  terrible  must  have  happened  since  Shirley's  de 
parture  from  home,  that  was  certain.  It  meant  her 
immediate  return  to  the  States  and,  of  course,  his  own. 
He  would  see  what  could  be  done.  He  would  make 
his  father  use  his  great  influence.  But  how  could  he 
tell  Shirley?  Impossible,  he  could  not!  She  would 
not  believe  him  if  he  did.  She  would  probably  hear 
from  home  in  some  other  way.  They  might  cable.  In 
any  case  he  would  say  nothing  yet.  He  paid  for  his 
vermouth  and  hurried  away  to  his  hotel  to  dress. 

It  was  just  striking  seven  when  he  re-entered  the 
courtyard  of  the  Grand  Hotel.  Shirley  and  Mrs. 
Blake  were  waiting  for  him.  Jefferson  suggested 
having  dinner  at  the  Cafe  de  Paris,  but  Shirley  ob 
jected  that  as  the  weather  was  warm  it  would  be  more 
pleasant  to  dine  in  the  open  air,  so  they  finally  decided 

96 


THE   MOUSE 

on  the  Pavilion  d'Armonville  where  there  was  music 
and  where  they  could  have  a  little  table  to  themselves 
in  the  garden. 

They  drove  up  the  stately  Champs  Elysees,  past  the 
monumental  Arc  de  Triomphe,  and  from  there  down 
to  the  Bois.  All  were  singularly  quiet.  Mrs.  Blake 
was  worrying  about  her  new  gown,  Shirley  was  tired, 
and  Jefferson  could  not  banish  from  his  mind  the  terri 
ble  news  he  had  just  read.  He  avoided  looking  at 
Shirley  until  the  latter  noticed  it  and  thought  she 
must  have  offended  him  in  some  way.  She  was  more 
sorry  than  she  would  have  him  know,  for,  with  all  her 
apparent  coldness,  Jefferson  was  rapidly  becoming  very 
indispensable  to  her  happiness. 

They  dined  sumptuously  and  delightfully  with  all 
the  luxury  of  surroundings  and  all  the  delights  of 
cooking  that  the  French  culinary  art  can  perfect.  A 
single  glass  of  champagne  had  put  Shirley  in  high 
spirits  and  she  had  tried  hard  to  communicate  some 
of  her  good  humour  to  Jefferson  who,  despite  all  her 
efforts,  remained  quiet  and  preoccupied.  Finally 
losing  patience  she  asked  him  bluntly: 

"  Jefferson,  what's  the  matter  with  you  to-night  ? 
You've  been  sulky  as  a  bear  all  evening." 

Pleased  to  see  she  had  not  forgotten  their  compact 
97 


THE    LION   & 

of  the  afternoon  in  regard  to  his  name,  Jefferson  re 
laxed  somewhat  and  said  apologetically: 

"  Excuse  me,  I've  been  feeling  a  bit  seedy  lately. 
I  think  I  need  another  sea  voyage.  That's  the  only 
time  when  I  feel  really  first-class — when  I'm  on  the 
water." 

The  mention  of  the  sea  started  Shirley  to  talk  about 
her  future  plans.  She  wasn't  going  back  to  America 
until  September.  She  had  arranged  to  make  a  stay  of 
three  weeks  in  London  and  then  she  would  be  free. 
Some  friends  of  hers  from  home,  a  man  and  his  wife 
who  owned  a  steam  yacht,  were  arranging  a  trip  to  the 
Mediterranean,  including  a  run  over  to  Cairo.  They 
had  asked  her  and  Mrs.  Blake  to  go  and  she  was  sure 
they  would  ask  Jefferson,  too.  Would  he  go? 

There  was  no  way  out  of  it.  Jefferson  tried  to  work 
up  some  enthusiasm  for  this  yachting  trip,  which  he 
knew  very  well  could  never  come  off,  and  it  cut  him 
to  the  heart  to  see  this  poor  girl  joyously  making  all 
these  preparations  and  plans,  little  dreaming  of  the 
domestic  calamity  which  at  that  very  moment  was 
hanging  over  her  head. 

It  was  nearly  ten  o'clock  when  they  had  finished. 
They  sat  a  little  longer  listening  to  the  gipsy  music, 
weird  and  barbaric.  Very  pointedly,  Shirley  re 
marked  : 

98 


THE   MOUSE 

"  I  for  one  preferred  the  music  this  afternoon." 

"  Why  ?  "  inquired  Jefferson,  ignoring  the  petulant 
note  in  her  voice. 

"  Because  you  were  more  amiable !"  she  retorted 
rather  crossly. 

This  was  their  first  misunderstanding,  but  Jefferson 
said  nothing.  He  could  not  tell  her  the  thoughts  and 
fears  that  had  been  haunting  him  all  night.  Soon 
afterward  they  re-entered  their  cab  and  returned  to 
the  boulevards  which  were  ablaze  with  light  and 
gaiety.  Jefferson  suggested  going  somewhere  else,  but 
Mrs.  Blake  was  tired  and  Shirley,  now  quite  irritated 
at  what  she  considered  Jefferson's  unaccountable  un- 
sociability,  declined  somewhat  abruptly.  But  she  could 
never  remain  angry  long,  and  when  they  said  good 
night  she  whispered  demurely : 

"  Are  you  cross  with  me,  Jeff  ?  " 

He  turned  his  head  away  and  she  saw  that  his  face 
was  singularly  drawn  and  grave. 

"  Cross — no.  Good-night.  God  bless  you !  "  he  said, 
hoarsely  gulping  down  a  lump  that  rose  in  his  throat. 
Then  grasping  her  hand  he  hurried  away. 

Completely  mystified,  Shirley  and  her  companion 
turned  to  the  office  to  get  the  key  of  their  room.  As 
the  man  handed  it  to  Shirley  he  passed  her  also  a 
cablegram  which  had  just  come.  She  changed  colour. 

99 


THE    LION  & 

She  did  not  like  telegrams.  She  always  had  a  dread 
of  them,,  for  with  her  sudden  news  was  usually  bad 
news.  Could  this,  she  thought,  explain  Jefferson's 
strange  behaviour?  Trembling,  she  tore  open  the  en 
velope  and  read : 

Come  home  at  once, 

Mother. 


100 


THE    MOUSE 


CHAPTER  V.-    j  :?',.••:•;  :>j:,v 

ROLLING,  tumbling,  splashing,  foaming  water 
as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  in  every  direc 
tion.  A  desolate  waste,  full  of  life,  move 
ment  and  colour,  extending  to  the  bleak  horizon  and 
like  a  vast  ploughed  field  cut  up  into  long  and  high 
liquid  ridges,  all  scurrying  in  one  direction  in  serried 
ranks  and  with  incredible  speed  as  if  pursued  by  a 
fearful  and  unseen  enemy.  Serenely  yet  boisterously, 
gracefully  yet  resistlessly,  the  endless  waves  passed 
on — Some  small,  others  monstrous,  with  fleecy  white 
combs  rushing  down  their  green  sides  like  toy  Niag 
aras  and  with  a  seething,  boiling  sound  as  when  flame 
touches  water.  They  went  by  in  a  stately,  never  end 
ing  procession,  going  nowhere,  coming  from  nowhere, 
but  full  of  dignity  and  importance,  their  breasts 
heaving  with  suppressed  rage  because  there  was 
nothing  in  their  path  that  they  might  destroy.  The 
dancing,  leaping  water  reflected  every  shade  and  tint- 
now  a  rich  green,  then  a  deep  blue  and  again  a  dirty 
gray  as  the  sun  hid  for  a  moment  behind  a  cloud,  and 
as  a  gust  of  wind  caught  the  top  of  the  combers  de- 

101 


THE   LION  & 

capitating  them  at  one  mad  rush,  the  spray  was  dashed 
high  in  the  air,  flashing  out  all  the  prismatic  colours. 
He*Fe/and  yonder,  -the  white  caps  rose,  disappeared  and 
came  again,  and  the  waves  grew  and  then  diminished 
iivpfee.  -Then  others  rose,  towering,  became  larger, 
majestic,  terrible;  the  milk-like  comb  rose  proudly, 
soared  a  brief  moment,  then  fell  ignominiously,  and 
the  wave  diminished  passed  on  humiliated.  Over  head, 
a  few  scattered  cirrus  clouds  flitted  lazily  across  the 
blue  dome  of  heaven,  while  a  dozen  Mother  Carey 
chickens  screamed  hoarsely  as  they  circled  in  the 
air.  The  strong  and  steady  western  breeze  bore  on 
its  powerful  pinions  the  sweet  and  eternal  music  of 
the  wind  and  sea. 

Shirley  stood  at  the  rail  under  the  bridge  of  the 
ocean  greyhound  that  was  carrying  her  back  to 
America  with  all  the  speed  of  which  her  mighty 
engines  were  capable.  All  day  and  all  night,  half 
naked  stokers,  so  grimed  with  oil  and  coal  dust 
as  to  lose  the  slightest  semblance  to  human  beings, 
feverishly  shovelled  coal,  throwing  it  rapidly  and 
evenly  over  roaring  furnaces  kept  at  a  fierce  white 
heat.  The  vast  boilers,  shaken  by  the  titanic  forces 
generating  in  their  cavern-like  depths,  sent  streams  of 
scalding,  hissing  steam  through  a  thousand  valves, 
cylinders  and  pistons,  turning  wheels  and  cranks  as  it 

102 


THE   MOUSE 

\ 

distributed  the  tremendous  power  which  Was  driving  the 
steel  monster  through  the  seas  at  the  prodigious  speed 
of  four  hundred  miles  in  the  twenty-four  hours.  Like 
a  pulsating  heart  in  some  living  thing,  the  mammoth 
engines  throbbed  and  panted,  and  the  great  vessel 
groaned  and  creaked  as  she  rose  and  fell  to  the  heavy 
swell,  and  again  lurched  forward  in  obedience  to  each 
fresh  propulsion  from  her  fast  spinning  screws.  Out 
on  deck,  volumes  of  dense  black  smoke  were  pouring 
from  four  gigantic  smoke  stacks  and  spread  out  in  the 
sky  like  some  endless  cinder  path  leading  back  over 
the  course  the  ship  had  taken. 

They  were  four  days  out  from  port.  Two  days 
more  and  they  would  sight  Sandy  Hook,  and  Shirley 
would  know  the  worst.  She  had  caught  the  North 
German  Lloyd  boat  at  Cherbourg  two  days  after  re 
ceiving  the  cablegram  from  New  York.  Mrs.  Blake 
had  insisted  on  coming  along  in  spite  of  her  niece's 
protests.  Shirley  argued  that  she  had  crossed  alone 
when  coming ;  she  could  go  back  the  same  way.  Be 
sides,  was  not  Mr.  Ryder  returning  home  on  the 
same  ship?  He  would  be  company  and  protection 
both.  But  Mrs.  Blake  was  bent  on  making  the  voyage. 
She  had  not  seen  her  sister  for  many  years  and,  more 
over,  this  sudden  return  to  America  had  upset  her 
own  plans.  She  was  a  poor  sailor,  yet  she  loved  the 

103 


THE    LION  & 

ocean  and  this  was  a  good  excuse  for  a  long  trip. 
Shirley  was  too  exhausted  with  worry  to  offer  further 
resistance  and  by  great  good  luck  the  two  women  had 
been  able  to  secure  at  the  last  moment  a  cabin  to  them 
selves  amidships.  Jefferson,  less  fortunate,  was  com 
pelled,  to  his  disgust,  to  share  a  stateroom  with  another 
passenger,  a  fat  German  brewer  who  was  returning  to 
Cincinnati,  and  who  snored  so  loud  at  night  that  even 
the  thumping  of  the  engines  was  completely  drowned 
by  his  eccentric  nasal  sounds. 

The  alarming  summons  home  and  the  terrible  shock 
she  had  experienced  the  following  morning  when  Jef 
ferson  showed  her  the  newspaper  article  with  its 
astounding  and  heart  rending  news  about  her  father 
had  almost  prostrated  Shirley.  The  blow  was  all  the 
greater  for  being  so  entirely  unlocked  for.  That  the 
story  was  true  she  could  not  doubt.  Her  mother 
would  not  have  cabled  except  under  the  gravest  cir 
cumstances.  What  alarmed  Shirley  still  more  was 
that  she  had  no  direct  news  of  her  father.  For  a 
moment  her  heart  stood  still — suppose  the  shock  of 
this  shameful  accusation  had  killed  him?  Her  blood 
froze  in  her  veins,  she  clenched  her  fists  and  dug  her 
nails  into  her  flesh  as  she  thought  of  the  dread  possibil 
ity  that  she  had  looked  upon  him  in  life  for  the  last 
time.  She  remembered  his  last  kind  words  when  he 

104 


THE   MOUSE 

came  to  the  steamer  to  see  her  off,  and  his  kiss  when  he 
said  good-bye  and  she  had  noticed  a  tear  of  which  he 
appeared  to  be  ashamed.  The  hot  tears  welled  up  in 
her  own  eyes  and  coursed  unhindered  down  her  cheeks. 

What  could  these  preposterous  and  abominable 
charges  mean?  What  was  this  lie  they  had  invented 
to  ruin  her  father?  That  he  had  enemies  she  well 
knew.  What  strong  man  had  not?  Indeed,  his  pro 
verbial  honesty  had  made  him  feared  by  all  evil-doers 
and  on  one  occasion  they  had  gone  so  far  as  to  threaten 
his  life.  This  new  attack  was  more  deadly  than  all— 
to  sap  and  destroy  his  character,  to  deliberately  fabri 
cate  lies  and  calumnies  which  had  no  foundation  what 
ever.  Of  course,  the  accusation  was  absurd,  the  Sen 
ate  would  refuse  to  convict  him,  the  entire  press 
would  espouse  the  cause  of  so  worthy  a  public  ser 
vant.  Certainly,  everything  would  be  done  to  clear 
his  character.  But  what  was  being  done?  She  could 
do  nothing  but  wait  and  wait.  The  suspense  and 
anxiety  were  awful. 

Suddenly  she  heard  a  familiar  step  behind  her,  and 
Jefferson  joined  her  at  the  rail.  The  wind  was  due 
West  and  blowing  half  a  gale,  so  where  they  were 
standing — one  of  the  most  exposed  parts  of  the  ship — 
it  was  difficult  to  keep  one's  feet,  to  say  nothing  of 
hearing  anyone  speak.  There  was  a  heavy  sea  run- 

105 


THE   LION  & 

ning,  and  each  approaching  wave  looked  big  enough 
to  engulf  the  vessel,  but  as  the  mass  of  moving  water 
reached  the  bow,  the  ship  rose  on  it,  light  and  graceful 
as  a  bird,  shook  off  the  flying  spray  as  a  cat  shakes 
her  fur  after  an  unwelcome  bath,  and  again  drove  for 
ward  as  steady  and  with  as  little  perceptible  motion 
as  a  railway  train.  Shirley  was  a  fairly  good  sailor 
and  this  kind  of  weather  did  not  bother  her  in  the 
least,  but  when  it  got  very  rough  she  could  not  bear 
the  rolling  and  pitching  and  then  all  she  was  good  for 
was  to  lie  still  in  her  steamer  chair  with  her  eyes  closed 
until  the  water  was  calmer  and  the  pitching  ceased. 

"  It's  pretty  windy  here,  Shirley,"  shouted  Jefferson, 
steadying  himself  against  a  stanchion.  "  Don't  you 
want  to  walk  a  little  ?  " 

He  had  begun  to  call  her  by  her  first  name  quite 
naturally,  as  if  it  were  a  matter  of  course.  Indeed, 
their  relations  had  come  to  be  more  like  those  of 
brother  and  sister  than  anything  else.  Shirley  was  too 
much  troubled  over  the  news  from  home  to  have 
a  mind  for  other  things,  and  in  her  distress  she 
had  turned  to  Jefferson  for  advice  and  help  as  she 
would  have  looked  to  an  elder  brother.  He  had  felt 
this  impulse  to  confide  in  him  and  consult  his  opinion 
and  it  had  pleased  him  more  than  he  dared  betray.  He 
had  shown  her  all  the  sympathy  of  which  his  warm, 

106 


THE    MOUSE 

generous  nature  was  capable,  yet  secretly  he  did  not 
regret  that  events  had  necessitated  this  sudden  return 
home  together  on  the  same  ship.  He  was  sorry  for 
Judge  Rossmore,  of  course,  and  there  was  nothing 
he  would  not  do  on  his  return  to  secure  a  withdrawal 
of  the  charges.  That  his  father  would  use  his  influence 
he  had  no  doubt.  But  meantime  he  was  selfish  enough 
to  be  glad  for  the  opportunity  it  gave  him  to  be  a  whole 
week  alone  with  Shirley.  No  matter  how  much  one 
may  be  with  people  in  city  or  country  or  even  when 
stopping  at  the  same  hotel  or  house,  there  is  no  place 
in  the  world  where  two  persons,  especially  when  they 
are  of  the  opposite  sex,  can  become  so  intimate  as  on 
shipboard.  The  reason  is  obvious.  The  days  are  long 
and  monotonous.  There  is  nowhere  to  go,  nothing  to 
see  but  the  ocean,  nothing  to  do  but  read,  talk  or 
promenade.  Seclusion  in  one's  stuffy  cabin  is  out  of 
the  question,  the  public  sitting  rooms  are  noisy  and 
impossible,  only  a  steamer  chair  on  deck  is  comfort 
able  and  once  there  snugly  wrapped  up  in  a  rug  it 
is  surprising  how  quickly  another  chair  makes  its 
appearance  alongside  and  how  welcome  one  is  apt  to 
make  the  intruder. 

Thus  events  combined  with  the  weather  conspired 
to  bring  Shirley  and  Jefferson  more  closely 
together.  The  sea  had  been  rough  ever  since  they 

107 


THE    LION   & 

sailed,  keeping  Mrs.  Blake  confined  to  her  stateroom 
almost  continuously.  They  were,  therefore,  constantly 
in  one  another's  company,  and  slowly,  unconsciously, 
there  was  taking  root  in  their  hearts  the  germ  of  the 
only  real  and  lasting  love — the  love  born  of  something 
higher  than  mere  physical  attraction,  the  nobler,  more 
enduring  affection  that  is  born  of  mutual  sympathy, 
association  and  companionship. 

"  Isn't  it  beautiful?  "  exclaimed  Shirley  ecstatically. 
"  Look  at  those  great  waves  out  there !  See  how  ma 
jestically  they  soar  and  how  gracefully  they  fall!" 

"  Glorious !  "  assented  Jefferson  sharing  her  enthu 
siasm.  "  There's  nothing  to  compare  with  it.  It's 
Nature's  grandest  spectacle.  The  ocean  is  the  only 
place  on  earth  that  man  has  not  defiled  and  spoiled. 
Those  waves  are  the  same  now  as  they  were  on  the  day 
of  creation." 

"  Not  the  day  of  creation.  You  mean  during  the 
aeons  of  time  creation  was  evolving,"  corrected  Shir- 
ley. 

"  I  meant  that  of  course,"  assented  Jefferson. 
"  When  one  says  '  day  '  that  is  only  a  form  of  speech." 

"  Why  not  be  accurate  ?  "  persisted  Shirley.  "  It 
was  the  use  of  that  little  word  '  day '  which  has  given 
the  theologians  so  many  sleepless  nights." 

There  was  a  roguish  twinkle  in  her  eye.  She  well 
108 


THE    MOUSE 

knew  that  he  thought  as  she  did  on  metaphysical  ques 
tions,  but  she  could  not  resist  teasing  him. 

Like  Jefferson,  she  was  not  a  member  of  any  church, 
although  her  nature  was  deeply  religious.  Hers  was 
the  religion  the  soul  inculcates,  not  that  which  is 
learned  by  rote  in  the  temple.  She  was  a  Christian 
because  she  thought  Christ  the  greatest  figure  in 
world  history,  and  also  because  her  own  conduct  of 
life  was  modelled  upon  Christian  principles  and  vir 
tues.  She  was  religious  for  religion's  sake  and  not 
for  public  ostentation.  The  mystery  of  life  awed  her 
and  while  her  intelligence  could  not  accept  all  the 
doctrines  of  dogmatic  religion  she  did  not  go  so  far 
as  Jefferson,  who  was  a  frank  agnostic.  She  would 
not  admit  that  we  do  not  know.  The  longings  and 
aspirations  of  her  own  soul  convinced  her  of  the  exist 
ence  of  a  Supreme  Being,  First  Cause,  Divine  Intel 
ligence — call  it  what  you  will — which  had  brought  out 
of  chaos  the  wonderful  order  of  the  universe.  The 
human  mind  was,  indeed,  helpless  to  conceive  such  a 
First  Cause  in  any  form  and  lay  prostrate  before  the 
Unknown,  yet  she  herself  was  an  enthusiastic  delver 
into  scientific  hypothesis  and  the  teachings  of  Darwin, 
Spencer,  Haeckel  had  satisfied  her  intellect  if  they  had 
failed  to  content  her  soul.  The  theory  of  evolution 
as  applied  to  life  on  her  own  little  planet  appealed 

109 


THE    LION  & 

strongly  to  her  because  it  accounted  plausibly  for  the 
presence  of  man  on  earth.  The  process  through  which 
we  had  passed  could  be  understood  by  every  intel 
ligence.  The  blazing  satellite,  violently  detached  from 
the  parent  sun  starting  on  its  circumscribed  orbit — that 
was  the  first  stage,  the  gradual  subsidence  of  the  flames 
and  the  cooling  of  the  crust — the  second  stage:  the 
gases  mingling  and  forming  water  which  covered  the 
earth — the  third  stage;  the  retreating  of  the  waters 
and  the  appearance  of  the  land — the  fourth  stage ;  the 
appearance  of  vegetation  and  animal  life — the  fifth 
stage ;  then,  after  a  long  interval  and  through  constant 
evolution  and  change  the  appearance  of  man,  which 
was  the  sixth  stage.  What  stages  still  to  come,  who 
knows?  This  simple  account  given  by  science  was, 
after  all,  practically  identical  with  the  biblical  legend ! 
It  was  when  Shirley  was  face  to  face  with  Nature 
in  her  wildest  and  most  primitive  aspects  that  this 
deep  rooted  religious  feeling  moved  her  most  strongly. 
At  these  times  she  felt  herself  another  being,  exalted, 
sublimated,  lifted  from  this  little  world  with  its  petty 
affairs  and  vanities  up  to  dizzy  heights.  She  had 
felt  the  same  sensation  when  for  the  first  time  she  had 
viewed  the  glories  of  the  snow  clad  Matterhorn,  she 
had  felt  it  when  on  a  summer's  night  at  sea  she  had 
sat  on  deck  and  watched  with  fascinated  awe  the  re- 

no 


THE   MOUSE 

splendent  radiance  of  the  countless  stars,  she  felt  it 
now  as  she  looked  at  the  foaming,  tumbling  waves. 

"  It  is  so  beautiful,"  she  murmured  as  she  turned 
to  walk.  The  ship  was  rolling  a  little  and  she  took 
Jefferson's  arm  to  steady  herself.  Shirley  was  an 
athletic  girl  and  had  all  the  ease  and  grace  of  car 
riage  that  comes  of  much  tennis  and  golf  playing. 
Barely  twenty-four  years  old,  she  was  still  in  the  first 
flush  of  youth  and  health,  and  there  was  nothing  she 
loved  so  much  as  exercise  and  fresh  air.  After  a  few 
turns  on  deck,  there  was  a  ruddy  glow  in  her  cheeks 
that  was  good  to  see  and  many  an  admiring  glance 
was  cast  at  the  young  couple  as  they  strode  briskly  up 
and  down  past  the  double  rows  of  elongated  steamer 
chairs. 

They  had  the  deck  pretty  much  to  themselves.  It 
was  only  four  o'clock,  too  early  for  the  appetite-stimu 
lating  walk  before  dinner,  and  their  fellow  passengers 
were  basking  in  the  sunshine,  stretched  out  on  their 
chairs  in  two  even  rows  like  so  many  mummies  on  ex 
hibition.  Some  were  reading,  some  were  dozing.  Two 
or  three  were  under  the  weather,  completely  prostrated, 
their  bilious  complexion  of  a  deathly  greenish  hue.  At 
each  new  roll  of  the  ship,  they  closed  their  eyes  as  if 
resigned  to  the  worst  that  might  happen  and  their 
immediate  neighbours  furtively  eyed  each  of  their 

in 


*  THE   LION  & 

movements  as  if  apprehensive  of  what  any  moment 
might  bring  forth.  A  few  couples  were  flirting  to  their 
heart's  content  under  the  friendly  cover  of  the  life 
boats  which,  as  on  most  of  the  transatlantic  liners,  were 
more  useful  in  saving  reputations  than  in  saving  life. 
The  deck  steward  was  passing  round  tea  and  biscuits, 
much  to  the  disgust  of  the  ill  ones,  but  to  the  keen 
satisfaction  of  the  stronger  stomached  passengers  who 
on  shipboard  never  seem  to  be  able  to  get  enough  to 
eat  and  drink.  On  the  bridge,  the  second  officer,  a 
tall,  handsome  man  with  the  points  of  his  moustache 
trained  upwards  a  la  Kaiser  Wilhelm,  was  striding 
back  and  forth,  every  now  and  then  sweeping  the 
horizon  with  his  glass  and  relieving  the  monotony  of 
his  duties  by  ogling  the  better  looking  women  pas 
sengers. 

"  Hello,  Shirley !  "  called  out  a  voice  from  a  heap  of 
rugs  as  Shirley  and  Jefferson  passed  the  rows  of 
chairs. 

They  stopped  short  and  discovered  Mrs.  Blake  en 
sconced  in  a  cozy  corner,  sheltered  from  the  wind. 

"Why,  aunt  Milly,"  exclaimed  Shirley  surprised. 
"  I  thought  you  were  downstairs.  I  didn't  think  you 
could  stand  this  sea." 

"  It  is  a  little  rougher  than  I  care  to  have  it,"  re 
sponded  Mrs.  Blake  with  a  wry  grimace  and  putting 

112 


TH&  MOUSE 

her  hand  to  her  breast  as  if  to  appease  disturbing 
qualms.  "  It  was  so  stuffy  in  the  cabin  I  could  not 
bear  it.  It's  more  pleasant  here  but  it's  getting  a  little 
cool  and  I  think  I'll  go  below.  Where  have  you  chil 
dren  been  all  afternoon  ?  " 

Jefferson  volunteered  to  explain. 
"  The   children   have   been    rhapsodizing   over   the 
beauties  of  the  ocean,"  he  laughed.    With  a  sly  glance 
at  Shirley,  he  added,  "  Your  niece  has  been  coaching 
me  in  metaphysics." 

Shirley  shook  her  finger  at  him. 
"  Now  Jefferson,  if  you  make  fun  of  me  I'll  never 
talk  seriously  with  you  again." 
"Wie  geht  es,  meine  damen?" 

Shirley  turned  on  hearing  the  guttural  salutation. 
It  was  Captain  Hegermann,  the  commander  of  the 
ship,  a  big  florid  Saxon  with  great  bushy  golden  whis 
kers  and  a  basso  voice  like  Edouard  de  Reszke.  He 
was  imposing  in  his  smart  uniform  and  gold  braid 
and  his  manner  had  the  self-reliant,  authoritative  air 
usual  in  men  who  have  great  responsibilities  and  are 
accustomed  to  command.  He  was  taking  his  after 
noon  stroll  and  had  stopped  to  chat  with  his  lady 
passengers.  He  had  already  passed  Mrs.  Blake  a  dozen 
times  and  not  noticed  her,  but  now  her  pretty  niece 
was  with  her,  which  altered  the  situation.  He  talked 


THE   LION  & 

to  the  aunt  and  looked  at  Shirley,  much  to  the  annoy 
ance  of  Jefferson,  who  muttered  things  under  his 
breath. 

"  When  shall  we  be  in,  captain  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Blake 
anxiously,  forgetting  that  this  was  one  of  the  questions 
which  according  to  ship  etiquette  must  never  be  asked 
of  the  officers. 

But  as  long  as  he  could  ignore  Mrs.  Blake  and  gaze 
at  Shirley  Capt.  Hegermann  did  not  mind.  He 
answered  amiably: 

"  At  the  rate  we  are  going,  we  ought  to  sight  Fire 
Island  sometime  to-morrow  evening.  If  we  do,  that 
will  get  us  to  our  dock  about  n  o'clock  Friday  morn 
ing,  I  fancy."  Then  addressing  Shirley  direct  he  said : 

"  And  you,  f raulein,  I  hope  you  won't  be  glad  the 
voyage  is  over  ?  " 

Shirley  sighed  and  a  worried,  anxious  look  came  into 
her  face. 

"  Yes,  Captain,  I  shall  be  very  glad.  It  is  not 
pleasure  that  is  bringing  me  back  to  America  so  soon." 

The  captain  elevated  his  eyebrows.  He  was  sorry 
the  young  lady  had  anxieties  to  keep  her  so  serious, 
and  he  hoped  she  would  find  everything  all  right  on 
her  arrival.  Then,  politely  saluting,  he  passed  on,  only 
to  halt  again  a  few  paces  on  where  his  bewhiskered 
gallantry  met  with  more  encouragement. 

114 


THE   MOUSE 

Mrs.  Blake  rose  from  her  chair.  The  air  was  de 
cidedly  cooler,  she  would  go  downstairs  and  prepare 
for  dinner.  Shirley  said  she  would  remain  on  deck  a 
little  longer.  She  was  tired  of  walking,  so  when  her 
aunt  left  them  she  took  her  chair  and  told  Jefferson 
to  get  another.  He  wanted  nothing  better,  but  before 
seating  himself  he  took  the  rugs  and  wrapped  Shirley 
up  with  all  the  solicitude  of  a  mother  caring  for  her 
first  born.  Arranging  the  pillow  under  her  head,  he 
asked : 

"Is  that  comfortable?" 

She  nodded,  smiling  at  him. 

"  You're  a  good  boy,  Jeff.     But  you'll  spoil  me." 

"  Nonsense,"  he  stammered  as  he  took  another  chair 
and  put  himself  by  her  side.  "  As  if  any  fellow 
wouldn't  give  his  boots  to  do  a  little  job  like  that 
for  you !  " 

She  seemed  to  take  no  notice  of  the  covert  com 
pliment.  In  fact,  she  already  took  it  as  a  matter  of 
course  that  Jefferson  was  very  fond  of  her. 

Did  she  love  him  ?  She  hardly  knew.  Certainly  she 
thought  more  of  him  than  of  any  other  man  she  knew 
and  she  readily  believed  that  she  could  be  with  him 
for  the  rest  of  her  life  and  like  him  better  every  day. 
Then,  too,  they  had  become  more  intimate  during  the 
last  few  days.  This  trouble,  this  unknown  peril  had 


LION  & 

drawn  them  together.  Yes,  she  would  be  sorry  if 
she  were  to  see  Jefferson  paying  attention  to  another 
woman.  Was  this  love?  Perhaps. 

These  thoughts  were  running  through  her  mind  as 
they  sat  there  side  by  side  isolated  from  the  main  herd 
of  passengers,  each  silent,  watching  through  the  open 
rail  the  foaming  water  as  it  rushed  past.  Jefferson 
had  been  casting  furtive  glances  at  his  companion  and 
as  he  noted  her  serious,  pensive  face  he  thought  how 
pretty  she  was.  He  wondered  what  she  was  thinking 
of  and  suddenly  inspired  no  doubt  by  the  mysterious 
power  that  enables  some  people  to  read  the  thoughts 
of  others,  he  said  abruptly : 

"  Shirley,  I  can  read  your  thoughts.  You  were 
thinking  of  me." 

She  was  startled  for  a  moment  but  immediately  re 
covered  her  self  possession.  It  never  occurred  to  her 
to  deny  it.  She  pondered  for  a  moment  and  then 
replied : 

"  You  are  right,  Jeff,  I  was  thinking  of  you.  How 
did  you  guess?  " 

He  leaned  over  her  chair  and  took  her  hand.  She 
made  no  resistance.  Her  delicate,  slender  hand  lay 
passively  in  his  big  brown  one  and  met  his  grasp 
frankly,  cordially.  He  whispered: 

"  What  were  you  thinking  of  me — good  or  bad  ?  " 
116 


THE   MOUSE 

"  Good,  of  course.  How  could  I  think  anything  bad 
of  you?" 

She  turned  her  eyes  on  him  in  wonderment.  Theli 
she  went  on: 

"  I  was  wondering  how  a  girl  could  distinguish  be 
tween  the  feeling  she  has  for  a  man  she  merely  likes, 
and  the  feeling  she  has  for  a  man  she  loves." 

Jefferson  bent  eagerly  forward  so  as  to  lose  no  word 
that  might  fall  from  those  coveted  lips. 

"  In  what  category  would  I  be  placed  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  don't  quite  know,"  she  answered,  laughingly. 
Then  seriously,  she  added :  "  Jeff,  why  should  we  act 
like  children?  Your  actions,  more  than  your  words, 
have  told  me  that  you  love  me.  I  have  known  it  all 
along.  If  I  have  appeared  cold  and  indifferent  it  is 
because  " — she  hesitated. 

"  Because  ?  "  echoed  Jeff ersbn  anxiously,  as  if  his 
whole  future  depended  on  that  reason. 

"  Because  I  was  not  sure  of  myself.  Would  it  be 
womanly  or  honourable  ori  niy  part  to  encourage  you, 
unless  I  felt  I  reciprocated  your  feelings?  You  are 
young,  one  day  you  will  be  very  rich,  the  whole  world 
lies  before  you.  There  are  plenty  of  women  who 
would  willingly  give  you  their  love." 

"  No — no !  "  he  burst  but  in  vigorous  protest,  u  it  is 
you  I  want,  Shirley,  you  alone." 

117 


THE    LION  & 

Grasping  her  hand  more  closely,  he  went  on,  pas 
sion  vibrating  in  every  note  of  his  voice.  "  I  love  you, 
Shirley.  I've  loved  you  from  the  very  first  evening  I 
met  you.  I  want  you  to  be  my  wife." 

Shirley  looked  straight  up  into  the  blue  eyes  so 
eagerly  bent  down  on  hers,  so  entreating  in  their  ex 
pression,  and  in  a  gentle  voice  full  of  emotion  she 
answered : 

"Jefferson,  you  have  done  me  the  greatest  honour 
a  man  can  do  a  woman.  Don't  ask  me  to  answer  you 
now.  I  like  you  very  much — I  more  than  like  you. 
Whether  it  is  love  I  feel  for  you — that  I  have  not  yet 
determined.  Give  me  time.  My  present  trouble  and 
then  my  literary  work " 

"  I  know,"  agreed  Jefferson,  "  that  this  is  hardly 
the  time  to  speak  of  such  matters.  Your  father  has 
first  call  on  your  attention.  But  as  to  your  literary 
work.  I  do  not  understand." 

"  Simply  this.  I  am  ambitious.  I  have  had  a  little 
success — just  enough  to  crave  for  more.  I  realize  that 
marriage  would  put  an  extinguisher  on  all  aspirations 
in  that  direction." 

"  Is  marriage  so  very  commonplace  ?  "  grumbled 
Jefferson. 

"  Not  commonplace,  but  there  is  no  room  in  mar 
riage  for  a  woman  having  personal  ambitions  of  her 

118 


THE   MOUSE 

own.  Once  married  her  duty  is  to  her  husband  and 
her  children — not  to  herself." 

"  That  is  right,"  he  replied ;  "  but  which  is  likely  to 
give  you  greater  joy — a  literary  success  or  a  happy 
wifehood?  When  you  have  spent  your  best  years 
and  given  the  public  your  best  work  they  will  throw 
you  over  for  some  new  favorite.  You'll  find  yourself 
an  old  woman  with  nothing  more  substantial  to  show 
as  your  life  work  than  that  questionable  asset,  a  liter 
ary  reputation.  How  many  literary  reputations  to-day 
conceal  an  aching  heart  and  find  it  difficult  to  make 
both  ends  meet?  How  different  with  the  woman  who 
married  young  and  obeys  Nature's  behest  by  contribut 
ing  her  share  to  the  process  of  evolution.  Her  life 
is  spent  basking  in  the  affection  of  her  husband  and 
the  chubby  smiles  of  her  dimpled  babes,  and  when  in 
the  course  of  time  she  finds  herself  in  the  twilight  of 
her  life,  she  has  at  her  feet  a  new  generation  of  her 
own  flesh  and  blood.  Isn't  that  better  than  a  literary 
reputation  ?  " 

He  spoke  so  earnestly  that  Shirley  looked  at  him 
in  surprise.  She  knew  he  was  serious  but  she  had  not 
suspected  that  he  thought  so  deeply  on  these  matters. 
Her  heart  told  her  that  he  was  uttering  the  true  philos 
ophy  of  the  ages.  She  said : 

"  Why,  Jefferson,  you  talk  like  a  book.  Perhaps  you 
119 


THE    LION   & 

are  right,  I  have  no  wish  to  be  a  blue  stocking  and 
deserted  in  my  old  age,  far  from  it.  But  give  me  time 
to  think.  Let  us  first  ascertain  the  extent  of  this 
disaster  which  has  overtaken  my  father.  Then  if  you 
still  care  for  me  and  if  I  have  not  changed  my  mind," 
here  she  glanced  slyly  at  him,  "  we  will  resume  our 
discussion." 

Again  she  held  out  her  hand  which  he  had  released. 
"  Is  it  a  bargain  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  It's  a  bargain,"  he  murmured,  raising  the  white 
hand  to  his  lips.  A  fierce  longing  rose  within  him 
to  take  her  in  his  arms  and  kiss  passionately  the  mouth 
that  lay  temptingly  near  his  own,  but  his  courage  failed 
him.  After  all,  he  reasoned,  he  had  not  yet  the  right. 
A  few  minutes  later  they  left  the  deck  and  went 
downstairs  to  dress  for  dinner.  That  same  evening 
they  stood  again  at  the  rail  watching  the  mysterious 
phosphorescence  as  it  sparkled  in  the  moonlight.  Her 
thoughts  travelling  faster  than  the  ship,  Shirley  sud 
denly  asked : 

"Do  you  really  think  Mr.  Ryder  will  use  his  in 
fluence  to  help  my  father  ?  " 

Jefferson  set  his  jaw  fast  and  the  familiar  Ryder 
gleam  came  into  his  eyes  as  he  responded: 

"Why  not?     My  father  is  all  powerful.     He  has 
made  and  unmade  judges  and  legislators  and   even 

120 


THE   MOUSE 

presidents.  Why  should  he  not  be  able  to  put  a  stop 
to  these  preposterous  proceedings?  I  will  go  to  him 
directly  we  land  and  we'll  see  what  can  be  done." 

So  the  time  on  shipboard  had  passed,  Shirley  altern 
ately  buoyed  up  with  hope  and  again  depressed  by  the 
gloomiest  forebodings.  The  following  night  they 
passed  Fire  Island  and  the  next  day  the  huge  steamer 
dropped  anchor  at  Quarantine. 


121 


THE    LION  & 


CHAPTER   VI. 

A  MONTH    had    passed    since    the    memorable 
meeting  of  the  directors  of  the  Southern  and 
Transcontinental  Railroad  in  New  York  and 
during  that  time  neither  John  Burkett  Ryder  nor  Judge 
Rossmore  had  been  idle.    The  former  had  immediately 
set  in  motion  the  machinery  he  controlled  in  the  Legis 
lature  at  Washington,  while  the  judge  neglected  no 
step  to  vindicate  himself  before  the  public. 

Ryder,  for  reasons  of  his  own — probably  because  he 
wished  to  make  the  blow  the  more  crushing  when  it 
did  fall — had  insisted  on  the  proceedings  at  the  board 
meeting  being  kept  a  profound  secret  and  some  time 
elapsed  before  the  newspapers  got  wind  of  the  coming 
Congressional  inquiry.  No  one  had  believed  the  stories 
about  Judge  Rossmore  but  now  that  a  quasi-official 
seal  had  been  set  on  the  current  gossip,  there  was  a 
howl  of  virtuous  indignation  from  the  journalistic 
muck  rakers.  What  was  the  country  coming1  to? 
they  cried  in  double  leaded  type.  After  the  embezzling 
by  life  insurance  officers,  the  rascality  of  the  railroads, 
the  looting  of  city  treasuries,  the  greed  of  the  Trusts, 

122 


THE    MOUSE 

the  grafting  of  the  legislators,  had  arisen  a  new  and 
more  serious  scandal — the  corruption  of  the  Judiciary. 
The  last  bulwark  of  the  nation  had  fallen,  the  country 
lay  helpless  at  the  mercy  of  legalized  sandbaggers. 
Even  the  judges  were  no  longer  to  be  trusted,  the  most 
respected  one  among  them  all  had  been  unable  to  resist 
the  tempter.  The  Supreme  Court,  the  living  voice  of 
the  Constitution,  was  honeycombed  with  graft.  Pub 
lic  life  was  rotten  to  the  core ! 

Neither  the  newspapers  nor  the  public  stopped  to 
ascertain  the  truth  or  the  falsity  of  the  charges  against 
Judge  Rossmore.  It  was  sufficient  that  the  bribery 
story  furnished  the  daily  sensation  which  newspaper 
editors  and  newspaper  readers  must  have.  The  world 
is  ever  more  prompt  to  believe  ill  rather  than  good  of 
a  man,  and  no  one,  except  in  Rossmore's  immediate 
circle  of  friends,  entertained  the  slightest  doubt  of 
his  guilt.  It  was  common  knowledge  that  the  "  big 
interests  "  were  behind  the  proceedings,  and  that  Judge 
Rossmore  was  a  scapegoat,  sacrificed  by  the  System 
because  he  had  been  blocking  their  game.  If  Ross- 
more  had  really  accepted  the  bribe,  and  few  now  be 
lieved  him  spotless,  he  deserved  all  that  was  coming 
to  him.  Senator  Roberts  was  very  active  in  Washing 
ton  preparing  the  case  against  Judge  Rossmore.  The 
latter  being  a  democrat  and  "  the  interests  "  controlling 

123 


THE   LION  & 

a  Republican  majority  in  the  House,  it  was  a  fore 
gone  conclusion  that  the  inquiry  would  be  against  him, 
and  that  a  demand  would  at  once  be  made  upon  the 
Senate  for  his  impeachment. 

Almost  prostrated  by  the  misfortune  which  had  so 
suddenly  and  unexpectedly  come  upon  him,  Judge 
Rossmore  was  like  a  man  demented.  His  reason 
seemed  to  be  tottering,  he  spoke  and  acted  like  a  man 
in  a  dream.  Naturally  he  was  entirely  incapacitated 
for  work  and  he  had  applied  to  Washington  to  be 
temporarily  relieved  from  his  judicial  duties.  He  was 
instantly  granted  a  leave  of  absence  and  went  at  once  to 
his  home  in  Madison  Avenue,  where  he  shut  himself 
up  in  his  library,  sitting  for  hours  at  his  desk  wrestling 
with  documents  and  legal  tomes  in  a  pathetic  endeavour 
to  find  some  way  out,  trying  to  elude  this  net  in  which 
unseen  hands  had  entangled  him. 

What  an  end  to  his  career !  To  have  struggled  and 
achieved  for  half  a  century,  to  have  built  up  a  repu 
tation  year  by  year,  as  a  man  builds  a  house  brick  by 
brick,  only  to  see  the  whole  crumble  to  his  feet  like 
dust!  To  have  gained  the  respect  of  the  country,  to 
have  made  a  name  as  the  most  incorruptible  of  public 
servants  and  now  to  be  branded  as  a  common  bribe 
taker !  Could  he  be  dreaming  ?  It  was  too  incredible ! 
What  would  his  daughter  say — his  Shirley?  Ah,  the 

124 


THE  MOUSE 

theug&t  of  the  expression  of  incredulity  and  wonder 
on  her  face  when  she  heard  the  news  cut  him  to  the 
heart  like  a  knife  thrust.  Yet,  he  mused,  her  very  un 
willingness  to  believe  it  should  really  be  his  consolation. 
Ah,  his  wife  and  his  child — they  knew  he  had  been  in 
nocent  of  wrong  doing.  The  very  idea  was  ridiculous. 
At  most  he  had  been  careless.  Yes,  he  was  certainly  to 
blame.  He  ought  to  have  seen  the  trap  so  carefully 
prepared  and  into  which  he  had  walked  as  if  blind 
folded.  That  extra  $50,000  worth  of  stock,  on  which 
he  had  never  received  a  cent  interest,  had  been  the 
decoy  in  a  carefully  thought  out  plot.  They,  the 
plotters,  well  knew  how  ignorant  he  was  of  financial 
matters  and  he  had  been  an  easy  victim.  Who  would 
believe  his  story  that  the  stock  had  been  sent  to  him 
with  a  plausibly-worded  letter  to  the  effect  that  it 
represented  a  bonus  on  his  own  investment?  Now  he 
came  to  think  of  it,  calmly  and  reasonably,  he  would 
not  believe  it  himself.  As  usual,  he  had  mislaid  or 
destroyed  the  secretary's  letter  and  there  was  only  his 
word  against  the  company's  books  to  substantiate  what 
would  appear  a  most  improbable  if  not  impossible 
occurrence. 

It  was  his  conviction  of  his  own  good  faith  that 
made  his  present  dilemma  all  the  more  cruel.  Had 
he  really  been  a  grafter,  had  he  really  taken  the  stock 

HB 


THE   LION  & 

as  a  bribe  he  would  not  care  so  much,  for  then  he 
would  have  foreseen  and  discounted  the  chances  of 
exposure.  Yes,  there  was  no  doubt  possible.  He  was 
the  victim  of  a  conspiracy,  there  was  an  organized 
plot  to  ruin  him,  to  get  him  out  of  the  way.  The  "  in 
terests  "  feared  him,  resented  his  judicial  decisions 
and  they  had  halted  at  nothing  to  accomplish  their 
purpose.  How  could  he  fight  them  back,  what  could 
he  do  to  protect  himself?  He  had  no  proofs  of  a  con 
spiracy,  his  enemies  worked  in  the  dark,  there  was  no 
way  in  which  he  could  reach  them  or  know  who  they 
were. 

He  thought  of  John  Burkett  Ryder.  Ah,  he  re 
membered  now.  Ryder  was  the  man  who  had  recom 
mended  the  investment  in  Alaskan  stock.  Of  course, 
why  did  he  not  think  of  it  before  ?  He  recollected  that 
at  the  time  he  had  been  puzzled  at  receiving  so  much 
stock  and  he  had  mentioned  it  to  Ryder,  adding  that 
the  secretary  had  told  him  it  was  customary.  Oh, 
why  had  he  not  kept  the  secretary's  letter  ?  But  Ryder 
would  certainly  remember  it.  He  probably  still  had 
his  two  letters  in  which  he  spoke  of  making  the  invest 
ment.  If  those  letters  could  be  produced  at  the  Con 
gressional  inquiry  they  would  clear  him  at  once.  So 
losing  no  time,  and  filled  with  renewed  hope  he  wrote 
to  the  Colossus  a  strong,  manly  letter  which  would 

126 


THE   MOUSE 

have  melted  an  iceberg,  urging  Mr.  Ryder  to  come 
forward  now  at  this  critical  time  and  clear  him  of  this 
abominable  charge,  or  in  any  case  to  kindly  return 
the  two  letters  he  must  have  in  his  possession,  as  they 
would  go  far  to  help  him  at  the  trial.  Three  days 
passed  and  no  reply  from  Ryder.  On  the  fourth  came 
a  polite  but  frigid  note  from  Mr.  Ryder's  private  secre 
tary.  Mr.  Ryder  had  received  Judge  Rossmore's  let 
ter  and  in  reply  begged  to  state  that  he  had  a  vague 
recollection  of  some  conversation  with  the  judge  in 
regard  to  investments,  but  he  did  not  think  he  had 
advised  the  purchase  of  any  particular  stock,  as  that 
was  something  he  never  did  on  principle,  even  with 
his  most  intimate  friends.  He  had  no  wish  to  be  held 
accountable  in  case  of  loss,  etc.  As  to  the  letter  which 
Judge  Rossmore  mentioned  as  having  written  to  Mr. 
Ryder  in  regard  to  having  received  more  stock  than 
he  had  bought,  of  that  Mr.  Ryder  had  no  recollection 
whatsoever.  Judge  Rossmore  was  probably  mistaken 
as  to  the  identity  of  his  correspondent.  He  regretted 
he  could  not  be  of  more  service  to  Judge  Rossmore, 
and  remained  his  very  obedient  servant. 

It  was  very  evident  that  no  help  was  to  be  looked 
for  in  that  quarter.  There  was  even  decided  hostility 
in  Ryder's  reply.  Could  it  be  true  that  the  financier 
was  really  behind  these  attacks  upon  his  character,  was 

127 


THE  LION  & 

it  possible  that  one  man  merely  to  make  more  money 
would  deliberately  ruin  his  fellow  man  whose  hand  he 
had  grasped  in  friendship?  He  had  been  unwilling  to 
believe  it  when  his  friend  ex- judge  Stott  had  pointed 
to  Ryder  as  the  author  of  all  his  misfortunes,  but  this 
unsympathetic  letter  with  its  falsehoods,  its  lies  plainly 
written  all  over  its  face,  was  proof  enough.  Yes,  there 
was  now  no  doubt  possible.  John  Burkett  Ryder  was 
his  enemy  and  what  an  enemy!  Many  a  man  had 
committed  suicide  when  he  had  incurred  the  enmity 
of  the  Colossus.  Judge  Rossmore,  completely  dis 
couraged,  bowed  his  head  to  the  inevitable. 

His  wife,  a  nervous,  sickly  woman,  was  helpless  to 
comfort  or  aid  him.  She  had  taken  their  misfortune 
as  a  visitation  of  an  inscrutable  Deity.  She  knew,  of 
course,  that  her  husband  was  wholly  innocent  of  the 
accusations  brought  against  him  and  if  his  character 
could  be  cleared  and  himself  rehabilitated  before  the 
world,  she  would  be  the  first  to  rejoice.  But  if  it 
pleased  the  Almighty  in  His  wisdom  to  sorely  try 
her  husband  and  herself  and  inflict  this  punishment 
upon  them  it  was  not  for  the  finite  mind  to  criticise 
the  ways  of  Providence.  There  was  probably  some 
good  reason  for  the  apparent  cruelty  and  injustice  of 
it  which  their  earthly  understanding  failed  to  grasp. 
Mrs.  Rossmore  found  much  comfort  in  this  philosophy, 

128 


THE   MOUSE 

which  gave  a  satisfactory  ending  to  both  ends  of  the 
problem,  and  she  was  upheld  in  her  view  by  the  rector 
of  the  church  which  she  had  attended  regularly  each 
Sunday  for  the  past  five  and  twenty  years.  Christian 
resignation  in  the  hour  of  trial,  submission  to  the 
will  of  Heaven  were,  declared  her  spiritual  adviser, 
the  fundamental  principles  of  religion.  He  could  only 
hope  that  Mrs.  Rossmore  would  succeed  in  imbuing 
her  husband  with  her  Christian  spirit.  But  when  the 
judge's  wife  returned  home  and  saw  the  keen  mental 
distress  of  the  man  who  had  been  her  companion  for 
twenty-five  long  years,  the  comforter  in  her  sorrows, 
the  joy  and  pride  of  her  young  wifehood,  she  forgot 
all  about  her  smug  churchly  consoler,  and  her  heart 
went  out  to  her  husband  in  a  spontaneous  burst  of 
genuine  human  sympathy.  Yes,  they  must  do  some 
thing  at  once.  Where  men  had  failed  perhaps  a 
woman  could  do  something.  She  wanted  to  cable  at 
once  for  Shirley,  who  was  everything  in  their  house 
hold — organizer,  manager,  adviser — but  the  judge 
would  not  hear  of  it.  No,  his  daughter  was  enjoying 
her  holiday  in  blissful  ignorance  of  what  had  occurred. 
He  would  not  spoil  it  for  her.  They  would  see ;  per 
haps  things  would  improve.  But  he  sent  for  his  old 
friend  ex- Judge  Stott. 

They   were   life-long   friends,   having  become   ac- 
129 


THE  LION  & 

quainte'd  nearly  thirty  years  ago  at  the  law  school,  at 
the  time  when  both  were  young  men  about  to  enter 
on  a  public  career.  Stott,  who  was  Rossmore's  junior, 
had  begun  as  a  lawyer  in  New  York  and  soon  acquired 
a  reputation  in  criminal  practice.  He  afterwards  be 
came  assistant  district  attorney  and  later,  when  a 
vacancy  occurred  in  the  city  magistrature,  he  was  suc 
cessful  in  securing  the  appointment.  On  the  bench 
he  again  met  his  old  friend  Rossmore  and  the  two 
men  once  more  became  closely  intimate.  The  regular 
court  hours,  however,  soon  palled  on  a  man  of  Judge 
Stott's  nervous  temperament  and  it  was  not  long  before 
he  retired  to  take  up  once  more  his  criminal  practice. 
He  was  still  a  young  man,  not  yet  fifty,  and  full  of 
vigor  and  fight.  He  had  a  blunt  manner  but  his  heart 
was  in  the  right  place,  and  he  had  a  record  as  clean 
as  his  close  shaven  face.  He  was  a  hard  worker,  a 
brilliant  speaker  and  one  of  the  cleverest  cross-exam 
iners  at  the  bar.  This  was  the  man  to  whom  Judge 
Rossmore  naturally  turned  for  legal  assistance. 

Stott  was  out  West  when  he  first  heard  of  the  pro 
ceedings  against  his  old  friend,  and  this  indignity  put 
upon  the  only  really  honest  man  in  public  life  whom 
he  knew,  so  incensed  him  that  he  was  already  hurrying 
back  to  his  aid  when  the  summons  reached  him. 

Meantime,  a  fresh  and  more  serious  calamity  had 
130 


THE   MOUSE 

overwhelmed  Judge  Rossmore.  Everything  seemed  to 
combine  to  break  the  spirit  of  this  man  who  had  dared 
defy  the  power  of  organized  capital.  Hardly  had  the 
news  of  the  Congressional  inquiry  been  made  public, 
than  the  financial  world  was  startled  by  an  extraor 
dinary  slump  in  Wall  Street.  There  was  nothing  in 
the  news  of  the  day  to  justify  a  decline,  but  prices  fell 
and  fell.  The  bears  had  it  all  their  own  way,  the  big 
interests  hammered  stocks  all  along  the  line,  "  cop 
pers  "  especially  being  the  object  of  attack.  The 
market  closed  feverishly  and  the  next  day  the  same 
tactics  were  pursued.  From  the  opening,  on  selling 
orders  coming  from  no  one  knew  where,  prices  fell  to 
nothing,  a  stampede  followed  and  before  long  it  became 
a  panic.  Pandemonium  reigned  on  the  floor  of  the 
Stock  Exchange.  White  faced,  dishevelled  brokers 
shouted  and  struggled  like  men  possessed  to  execute 
the  orders  of  their  clients.  Big  financial  houses,  which 
stood  to  lose  millions  on  a  falling  market,  rallied  and 
by  rush  orders  to  buy,  attempted  to  stem  the  tide,  but 
all  to  no  purpose.  One  firm  after  another  went  by 
the  board  unable  to  weather  the  tempest,  until  just 
before  closing  time,  the  stock  ticker  announced  the 
failure  of  the  Great  Northwestern  Mining  Co.  The 
drive  in  the  market  had  been  principally  directed 
against  its  securities,  and  after  vainly  endeavoring  to 


THE   LION  & 

check  the  bear  raid,  it  had  been  compelled  to  declare 
itself  bankrupt.     It  was  heavily  involved,  assets  nil, 
Stock  almost   worthless.     It   was   probable  that   the 
creditors  would  not  see  ten  cents  on  the  dollar.    Thou 
sands  were  ruined  and  Judge  Rossmore  among  them. 
All  the   savings  of  a  lifetime— nearly  $55>°°°  were 
gone.     He  was  practically  penniless,  at  a  time  when 
he  needed  money  most.     He  still  owned  his  house  in 
Madison  Avenue,  but  that  would  have  to  go  to  settle 
with  his  creditors.     By  the  time  everything  was  paid 
there  would  only  remain  enough  for  a  modest  com 
petence.    As  to  his  salary,  of  course  he  could  not  touch 
that  so  long  as  this  accusation  was  hanging  over  his 
head.    And  if  he  were  impeached  it  would  stop  alto 
gether.    The  salary,  therefore,  was  not  to  be  counted 
on.     They  must  manage  as  best  they  could  and  live 
more  cheaply,  taking  a  small  house  somewhere  in  the 
outskirts  of  the  city  where  he  could  prepare  his  case 
quietly  without  attracting  attention. 

Stott  thought  this  was  the  best  thing  they  could  do 
and  he  volunteered  to  relieve  his  friend  by  taking  on 
his  own  hands  all  the  arrangements  of  the  sale  of  the 
house  and  furniture,  which  offer  the  judge  accepted 
only  too  gladly.  Meantime,  Mrs.  Rossmore  went  to 
Long  Island  to  see  what  could  be  liad,  and  she  found 
at  the  little  village  of  Massapequa  just  what  they  were 

132 


THE    MOUSE 

looking  for — a  commodious,  neatly-furnished  two- 
story  cottage  at  a  modest  rental.  Of  course,  it  was 
nothing  like  what  they  had  been  accustomed  to,  but 
it  was  clean  and  comfortable,  and  as  Mrs.  Rossmore 
said,  rather  tactlessly,  beggars  cannot  be  choosers. 
Perhaps  it  would  not  be  for  long.  Instant  possession 
was  to  be  had,  so  deposit  was  paid  on  the  spot  and 
a  few  days  later  the  Rossmores  left  their  mansion  on 
Madison  Avenue  and  took  up  their  residence  in  Mas- 
sapequa,  where  their  advent  created  quite  a  fluster  in 
local  social  circles. 

Massapequa  is  one  of  the  thousand  and  one  flourish 
ing  communities  scattered  over  Long  Island,  all  of 
which  are  apparently  modelled  after  the  same  pattern. 
Each  is  an  exact  duplicate  of  its  neighbour  in  every 
thing  except  the  name — the  same  untidy  railroad  sta 
tion,  the  same  sleepy  stores,  the  same  attractive  little 
frame  residences,  built  for  the  most  part  on  the  "  Why 
pay  Rent  ?  Own  your  own  Home  "  plan.  A  healthy 
boom  in  real  estate  imparts  plenty  of  life  to  them  all 
and  Massapequa  is  particularly  famed  as  being  the 
place  where  the  cat  jumped  to  when  Manhattan  had 
to  seek  an  outlet  for  its  congested  population  and  ever- 
increasing  army  of  home  seekers.  Formerly  large 
tracts  of  flat  farm  lands,  only  sparsely  shaded  by  trees, 
Massapequa,  in  common  with  other  villages  of  its  kind, 

133 


THE   LION   & 

was  utterly  destitute  of  any  natural  attractions.  There 
was  the  one  principal  street  leading  to  the  station,  with 
a  few  scattered  stores  on  either  side,  a  church  and  a 
bank.  Happily,  too,  for  those  who  were  unable  to 
survive  the  monotony  of  the  place,  it  boasted  of  a 
pretty  cemetery.  There  were  also  a  number  of  attrac 
tive  cottages  with  spacious  porches  hung  with  honey 
suckle  and  of  these  the  Rossmores  occupied  one  of 
the  less  pretentious  kind. 

But  although  Massapequa,  theoretically  speaking, 
was  situated  only  a  stone's  throw  from  the  metropolis, 
it  might  have  been  situated  in  the  Great  Sahara  so  far 
as  its  inhabitants  took  any  active  interest  in  the  doings 
of  gay  Gotham.  Local  happenings  naturally  had  first 
claim  upon  Massapequa's  attention — the  prowess  of 
the  local  baseball  team,  Mrs.  Robinson's  tea  party  and 
the  highly  exciting  sessions  of  the  local  Pinochle  Club 
furnishing  food  for  unlimited  gossip  and  scandal.  The 
newspapers  reached  the  village,  of  course,  but  only  the 
local  news  items  aroused  any  real  interest,  while  the 
women  folk  usually  restricted  their  readings  to  those 
pages  devoted  to  Daily  Hints  for  the  Home,  Mrs. 
Sayre's  learned  articles  on  Health  and  Beauty  and 
Fay  Stanton's  Daily  Fashions.  It  was  not  surprising, 
therefore,  that  the  fame  of  Judge  Rossmore  and  the 
scandal  in  which  he  was  at  present  involved  had  not 

134 


THE   MOUSE 

penetrated  as  far  as  Massapequa  and  that  the  natives 
were  considerably  mystified  as  to  who  the  new  arrivals 
in  their  midst  might  be. 

Stott  had  been  given  a  room  in  the  cottage  so  that 
he  might  be  near  at  hand  to  work  with  the  judge  in 
the  preparation  of  the  defence,  and  he  came  out  from 
the  city  every  evening.  It  was  now  June.  The  Senate 
would  not  take  action  until  it  convened  in  December, 
but  there  was  a  lot  of  work  to  be  done  and  no  time 
to  be  lost. 

The  evening  following  the  day  of  their  arrival  they 
were  sitting  on  the  porch  enjoying  the  cool  evening 
air  after  dinner.  The  judge  was  smoking.  He  was 
not  a  slave  to  the  weed,  but  he  enjoyed  a  quiet  pipe 
after  meals,  claiming  that  it  quieted  his  nerves  and 
enabled  him  to  think  more  clearly.  Besides,  it  was 
necessary  to  keep  at  bay  the  ubiquitous  Long-  Island 
mosquito.  Mrs.  Rossmore  had  remained  for  a  mo 
ment  in  the  dining-room  to  admonish  Eudoxia,  their 
new  and  only  maid-of-all-work,  not  to  wreck  too  much 
of  the  crockery  when  she  removed  the  dinner  dishes. 
Suddenly  Stott,  who  was  perusing  an  evening  paper, 
asked : 

"  By  the  way,  where's  your  daughter  ?  Does  she 
know  of  this  radical  change  in  your  affairs  ?  " 

Judge    Rossmore    started.      By    what    mysterious 
135 


THE    LION   & 

agency  had  this  man  penetrated  his  own  most  intimate 
thoughts?  He  was  himself  thinking  of  Shirley  that 
very  moment,  and  by  some  inexplicable  means — tele 
pathy  modern  psychologists  called  it — the  thought  cur 
rent  had  crossed  to  Stott,  whose  mind,  being  in  full 
sympathy,  was  exactly  attuned  to  receive  it.  Remov 
ing  the  pipe  from  his  mouth  the  judge  replied : 

"  Shirley's  in  Paris.  Poor  girl,  I  hadn't  the  heart  to 
tell  her.  She  has  no  idea  of  what's  happened.  I  didn't 
want  to  spoil  her  holiday." 

He  was  silent  for  a  moment.  Then,  after  a  few 
more  puffs  he  added  confidentially  in  a  low  tone,  as 
if  he  did  not  care  for  his  wife  to  hear : 

"  The  truth  is,  Stott,  I  couldn't  bear  to  have  her 
return  now.  I  couldn't  look  my  own  daughter  in  the 
face." 

A  sound  as  of  a  great  sob  which  he  had  been  unable 
to  control  cut  short  his  speech-.  His  eyes  filled  with 
tears  and  he  began  to  smoke  furiously  as  if  ashamed 
of  this  display  of  emotion.  Stott,  blowing  his  nose 
with  suspicious  vigor,  replied  soothingly: 

"  You  mustn't  talk  like  that.  Everything  will  come 
out  all  right,  of  course.  But  I  think  you  are  wrong 
not  to  have  told  your  daughter.  Her  place  is  here  at 
your  side.  She  ought  to  be  told  even  if  only  in  justice 

136 


THE   MOUSE 

to  her.     If  you  don't  tell  her  someone  else  will,  or, 
what's  worse,  she'll  hear  of  it  through  the  newspapers." 

"  Ah,  I  never  thought  of  that !  "  exclaimed  the  judge, 
visibly  perturbed  at  the  suggestion  about  the  news 
papers. 

"  Don't  you  agree  with  me  ?  "  demanded  Stott,  ap 
pealing  to  Mrs.  Rossmore,  who  emerged  from  the 
house  at  that  instant.  "  Don't  you  think  your  daughter 
should  be  informed  of  what  has  happened  ?  " 

"  Most  assuredly  I  do,"  answered  Mrs.  Rossmore 
determinedly.  "  The  judge  wouldn't  hear  of  it,  but  I 
took  the  law  into  my  own  hands.  I've  cabled  for  her." 

"You  cabled  for  Shirley?"  cried  the  judge  incred 
ulously.  He  was  so  unaccustomed  to  seeing  his  ailing, 
vacillating  wife  do  anything  on  her  own  initiative  and 
responsibility  that  it  seemed  impossible.  ''  You  cabled 
for  Shirley?"  he  repeated. 

"Yes,"  replied  Mrs.  Rossmore  triumphantly  and 
secretly  pleased  that  for  once  in  her  life  she  had  as 
serted  herself.  "  I  cabled  yesterday.  I  simply  couldn't 
bear  it  alone  any  longer." 

"  What  did  you  say  ?  "  inquired  the  judge  apprehen 
sively. 

"  I  just  told  her  to  come  home  at  once.  To-morrow 
we  ought  to  get  an  answer." 

Stott  meantime  had  been  figuring  on  the  time  of 

137 


THE   LION  & 

Shirley's  probable  arrival.  If  the  cablegram  had  been 
received  in  Paris  the  previous  evening  it  would  be  too 
late  to  catch  the  French  boat.  The  North  German 
Lloyd  steamer  was  the  next  to  leave  and  it  touched  at 
Cherbourg.  She  would  undoubtedly  come  on  that.  In 
a  week  at  most  she  would  be  here.  Then  it  became  a 
question  as  to  who  should  go  to  meet  her  at  the  dock. 
The  judge  could  not  go,  that  was  certain.  It  would 
be  too  much  of  an  ordeal.  Mrs.  Rossmore  did  not 
know  the  lower  part  of  the  city  well,  and  had  no  ex 
perience  in  meeting  ocean  steamships.  There  was  only 
one  way  out — would  Stott  go?  Of  course  he  would 
and  he  would  bring  Shirley  back  with  him  to  Massa- 
pequa.  So  during  the  next  few  days  while  Stott  and 
the  judge  toiled  preparing  their  case,  which  often  ne 
cessitated  brief  trips  to  the  city,  Mrs.  Rossmore, 
seconded  with  sulky  indifference  by  Eudoxia,  was  kept 
busy  getting  a  room  ready  for  her  daughter's  arrival. 
Eudoxia,  who  came  originally  from  County  Cork, 
was  an  Irish  lady  with  a  thick  brogue  and  a  husky 
temper.  She  was  amiable  enough  so  long  as  things 
went  to  her  satisfaction,  but  when  they  did  not  suit 
her  she  was  a  termagant.  She  was  neither  beautiful 
nor  graceful,  she  was  not  young  nor  was  she  very 
clean.  Her  usual  condition  was  dishevelled,  her  face 
was  all  askew,  and  when  she  dressed  up  she  looked  like 

138 


THE  MOUSE 

a  valentine.  Her  greatest  weakness  was  a  propensity 
for  smashing  dishes,  and  when  reprimanded  she  would 
threaten  to  take  her  traps  and  skidoo.  This  news  of 
the  arrival  of  a  daughter  failed  to  fill  her  with  enthu 
siasm.  Firstly,  it  meant  more  work ;  secondly  she  had 
not  bargained  for  it.  When  she  took  the  place  it  was 
on  the  understanding  that  the  family  consisted  only  of 
an  elderly  gentleman  and  his  wife,  that  there  was  prac 
tically  no  work,  good  wages,  plenty  to  eat,  with  the 
privilege  of  an  evening  out  when  she  pleased.  Instead 
of  this  millennium  she  soon  found  Stofct  installed  as  a 
permanent  guest  and  now  a  daughter  was  to  be  foisted 
on  her.  No  wonder  hard  working  girls  were  getting 
sick  and  tired  of  housework ! 

As  already  hinted  there  was  no  unhealthy  curiosity 
among  Massapequans  regarding  their  new  neighbors 
from  the  city  but  some  of  the  more  prominent  people 
of  the  place  considered  it  their  duty  to  seek  at  least  a 
bowing  acquaintance  with  the  Rossmores  by  paying 
them  a  formal  visit.  So  the  day  following  the  conver 
sation  on  the  porch  when  the  judge  and  Stott  had  gone 
to  the  city  on  one  of  their  periodical  excursions,  Mrs. 
Rossmore  was  startled  to  see  a  gentleman  of  clerical 
appearance  accompanied  by  a  tall,  angular  woman 
enter  their  gate  and  ring  the  bell. 

iTKe  Rev.  Percival  Pontifex  Deetle  and  his  sister 
139 


THE    LION   & 

Miss  Jane  Beetle  prided  themselves  on  being  leaders 
in  the  best  social  circle  in  Massapequa.  The  incum 
bent  of  the  local  Presbyterian  church,  the  Rev.  Beetle, 
was  a  thin,  sallow  man  of  about  thirty-five.  He  had 
a  diminutive  face  with  a  rather  long  and  very  pointed 
nose  which  gave  a  comical  effect  to  his  physiognomy. 
Theology  was  written  all  over  his  person  and  he  wore 
the  conventional  clerical  hat  which,  owing  to  his  ab 
surdly  small  face,  had  the  unfortunate  appearance  of 
being  several  sizes  too  large  for  him.  Miss  Beetle 
was  a  gaunt  and  angular  spinster  who  had  an  unhappy 
trick  of  talking  with  a  jerk.  She  looked  as  if  she  were 
constantly  under  self-restraint  and  was  liable  at  any 
moment  to  explode  into  a  fit  of  rage  and  only  repressed 
herself  with  considerable  effort.  As  they  came  up  the 
stoop,  Eudoxia,  already  instructed  by  Mrs.  Rossmore, 
was  ready  for  them.  With  her  instinctive  respect  for 
the  priestly  garb  she  was  rather  taken  back  on  seeing 
a  clergyman,  but  she  brazened  it  out : 

"  Mr.  Rossmore's  not  home."  Then  shaking  her 
head,  she  added :  "  They  don't  see  no  visitors." 

Unabashed,  the  Rev.  Beetle  drew  a  card  from  a  case 
and  handing  it  to  the  girl  said  pompously : 

"  Then  we  will  see  Mrs.  Rossmore.  I  saw  her  at 
the  window  as  we  came  along.  Here,  my  girl,  take 
her  this  card.  Tell  her  that  the  Reverend  Pontifex 

140 


THE   MOUSE 

Beetle  and  Miss  Beetle  have  called  to  present  their 
compliments." 

Brushing  past  Eudoxia,  who  vainly  tried  to  close 
the  door,  the  Rev.  Beetle  coolly  entered  the  house,  fol 
lowed  by  his  sister,  and  took  a  seat  in  the  parlour. 

"  She'll  blame  me  for  this,"  wailed  the  girl,  who  had 
not  budged  and  who  stood  there  fingering  the  Rev. 
Beetle's  card. 

"  Blame  you  ?  For  what  ?  "  demanded  the  clerical 
visitor  in  surprise. 

"  She  told  me  to  say  she  was  out — but  I  can't  lie  to 
a  minister  of  the  Gospel — leastways  not  to  his  face. 
I'll  give  her  your  card,  sir." 

The  reverend  caller  waited  until  Eudoxia  had  disap 
peared,  then  he  rose  and  looked  around  curiously  at  the 
books  and  pictures. 

"  Hum — not  a  Bible  or  a  prayer  book  or  a  hymn 
book,  not  a  picture  or  anything  that  would  indicate 
the  slightest  reverence  for  holy  things." 

He  picked  up  a  few  papers  that  were  lying  on  the 
table  and  after  glancing  at  them  threw  them  down  in 
disgust. 

"  Law  reports — Wall  Street  reports — the  god  of 
this  world.  Evidently  very  ordinary  people,  Jane." 

He  looked  at  his  sister,  but  she  sat  stiffly  and  primly 
in  her  chair  and  made  no  reply.  He  repeated : 

141 


THE  LION  & 

"  Didn'$  you  hear  me  ?  I  said  they  are  ordinary 
people." 

"  I've  no  doubt,"  retorted  Miss  Beetle,  "  and  as  such 
they  will  not  thank  us  for  prying  into  their  affairs." 

"  Prying,  did  you  say  ?  "  said  the  parson,  resenting 
this  implied  criticism  of  his  actions. 

"  Just  plain  prying,"  persisted  his  sister  angrily.  "  I 
don't  see  what  else  it  is." 

The  Rev.  Pontifex  straightened  up  and  threw  out 
his  chest  as  he  replied : 

"  It  is  protecting  my  flock.  As  Leader  of  the  Uni 
fied  All  Souls  Baptismal  Presbytery,  it  is  my  duty  to 
visit  the  widows  and  orphans  of  this  community." 

"  These  people  are  neither  widows  or  orphans,"  ob 
jected  Miss  Beetle. 

"  They  are  strangers,"  insisted  the  Rev.  Pontifex, 
"  and  it  is  my  duty  to  minister  to  them — if  they  need 
it.  Furthermore  it  is  my  duty  to  my  congregation  to 
find  out  who  is  in  their  midst.  No  less  than  three  of 
the  Lady  Trustees  of  my  church  have  asked  me  who 
and  what  these  people  are  and  whence  they  came." 

"  The  Lady  Trustees  are  a  pack  of  old  busybodies," 
growled  his  sister. 

Her  brother  raised  his  finger  warningly. 

"  Jane,  do  you  know  you  are  uttering  a  blasphemy  ? 
These  Rossmore  people  have  been  here  two  weeks* 

142 


THE  MOUSE 

They  have  visited  no  one,  no  one  visits  them.  They 
have  avoided  a  temple  of  worship,  they  have  acted 
most  mysteriously.  Who  are  they?  What  are  they 
hiding?  Is  it  fair  to  my  church,  is  it  fair  to  my  flock? 
It  is  not  a  bereavement,  for  they  don't  wear  mourning. 
I'm  afraid  it  may  be  some  hidden  scandal " 

Further  speculations  on  his  part  were  interrupted  by 
the  entrance  of  Mrs.  Rossmore,  who  thought  rightly 
that  the  quickest  way  to  get  rid  of  her  unwelcome  visi 
tors  was  to  hurry  downstairs  as  quickly  as  possible. 

"  Miss  Beetle — Mr.  Beetle.  I  am  much  honoured," 
was  her  not  too  effusive  greeting. 

The  Reverend  Pontifex,  anxious  to  make  a  favour 
able  impression,  was  all  smiles  and  bows.  The  idea  of 
a  possible  scandal  had  for  the  moment  ceased  to  worry 
him. 

"  The  honour  is  ours,"  he  stammered.  "  I — er — we 
— er — my  sister  Jane  and  I  called  to " 

"  Won't  you  sit  down  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Rossmore,  wav 
ing  him  to  a  chair.  He  danced  around  her  in  a  man 
ner  that  made  her  nervous. 

"  Thank  you  so  much,"  he  said  with  a  smile  that  was 
meant  to  be  amiable.  He  took  a  seat  at  the  further 
end  of  the  room  and  an  awkward  pause  followed. 
Finally  his  sister  prompted  him : 

143 


THE   LION  & 

"  You  wanted  to  see  Mrs.  Rossmore  about  the  fes 
tival,"  she  said. 

"  Oh,  of  course,  I  had  quite  forgotten.  How  stupid 
of  me.  The  fact  is,  Mrs.  Rossmore,"  he  went  on,  "  we 
are  thinking  of  giving  a  festival  next  week — a  festival 
with  strawberries — and  our  trustees  thought,  in  fact  it 
occurred  to  me  also  that  if  you  and  Mr.  Rossmore 
would  grace  the  occasion  with  your  presence  it  would 
give  us  an  opportunity — so  to  speak — get  better  ac 
quainted,  and  er " 

Another  awkward  pause  followed  during  which  he 
sought  inspiration  by  gazing  fixedly  in  the  fireplace. 
Then  turning  on  Mrs.  Rossmore  so  suddenly  that  the 
poor  woman  nearly  jumped  out  of  her  chair  he  asked: 

"  Do  you  like  strawberries  ?  " 

"  It's  very  kind  of  you,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Rossmore, 
glad  of  the  opportunity  to  get  a  word  in  edgeways. 
"  Indeed,  I  appreciate  your  kindness  most  keenly  but 
my  husband  and  I  go  nowhere,  nowhere  at  all.  You 
see  we  have  met  with  reverses  and " 

"  Reverses,"  echoed  the  clerical  visitor,  with  diffi 
culty  keeping  his  seat.  This  was  the  very  thing  he 
had  come  to  find  out  and  here  it  was  actually  thrown 
at  him.  He  congratulated  himself  on  his  cleverness  in 
having  inspired  so  much  confidence  and  thought  with 
glee  of  his  triumph  when  he  returned  with  the  full 

144 


THE  MOUSE 

story  to  the  Lady  Trustees.  Simulating,  therefore,  the 
deepest  sympathy  he  tried  to  draw  his  hostess  out: 

"  Dear  me,  how  sad !    You  met  with  reverses." 

Turning  to  his  sister,  who  was  sitting  in  her  corner 
like  a  petrified  mummy,  he  added : 

"  Jane,  do  you  hear  ?  How  inexpressibly  sad !  They 
have  met  with  reverses  !  " 

He  paused,  hoping  that  Mrs.  Rossmore  would  go  on 
to  explain  just  what  their  reverses  had  been,  but  she 
was  silent.  As  a  gentle  hint  he  said  softly: 

"  Did  I  interrupt  you,  Madam  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all,  I  did  not  speak,"  she  answered. 

Thus  baffled,  he  turned  the  whites  of  his  eyes  up  to 
the  ceiling  and  said: 

"  When  reverses  come  we  naturally  look  for  spir 
itual  consolation.  My  dear  Mrs.  Rossmore,  in  the 
name  of  the  Unified  All  Souls  Baptismal  Presbytery 
I  offer  you  that  consolation." 

Mrs.  Rossmore  looked  helplessly  from  one  to  the 
other  embarrassed  as  to  what  to  say.  Who  were  these 
strangers  that  intruded  on  her  privacy  offering  a  con 
solation  she  did  not  want?  Miss  Deetle,  as  if  glad  of 
the  opportunity  to  joke  at  her  brother's  expense,  said 
explosively : 

"  My  dear  Pontifex,  you  have  already  offered  a 
145 


THE   LION  & 

strawberry  festival  which  Mrs.  Rossmore  has  been 
unable  to  accept." 

"Well,  what  of  it?"  demanded  Mr.  Beetle,  glaring 
at  his  sister  for  the  irrelevant  interruption. 

"  You  are  both  most  kind,"  murmured  Mrs.  Ross- 
more  ;  "  but  we  could  not  accept  in  any  case.  My 
daughter  is  returning  home  from  Paris  next  week." 

"  Ah,  your  daughter — you  have  a  daughter  ?  "  ex 
claimed  Mr.  Beetle,  grasping  at  the  slightest  straw  to 
add  to  his  stock  of  information.  "  Coming  from  Paris, 
too !  Such  a  wicked  city !  " 

He  had  never  been  to  Paris,  he  went  on  to  explain, 
but  he  had  read  enough  about  it  and  he  was  grateful 
that  the  Lord  had  chosen  Massapequa  as  the  field  of 
his  labours.  Here  at  least,  life  was  sweet  and  whole 
some  and  one's  hopes  of  future  salvation  fairly  reason 
able.  He  was  not  a  brilliant  talker  when  the  conver 
sation  extended  beyond  Massapequa  but  he  rambled  on 
airing  his  views  on  the  viciousness  of  the  foreigner  in 
general,  until  Mrs.  Rossmore,  utterly  wearied,  began 
to  wonder  when  they  would  go.  Finally  he  fell  back 
upon  the  weather. 

"  We  are  very  fortunate  in  having  such  pleasant 
weather,  don't  you  think  so,  Madam  ?  Oh,  Massapequa 
is  a  lovely  spot,  isn't  it?  We  think  it's  the  one  place 

146 


THE  MOUSE 

to  live  in.  We  are  all  one  happy  family.  That's  why 
my  sister  and  I  called  to  make  your  acquaintance." 

"  You  are  very  good,  I'm  sure.  I  shall  tell  my  hus 
band  you  came  and  he'll  be  very  pleased." 

Having  exhausted  his  conversational  powers  and 
seeing  that  further  efforts  to  pump  Mrs.  Rossmore 
were  useless,  the  clerical  visitor  rose  to  depart : 

"  It  looks  like  rain.  Come,  Jane,  we  had  better  go. 
Good-bye,  Madam,  I  am  delighted  to  have  made  this 
little  visit  and  I  trust  you  will  assure  Mr.  Rossmore 
that  All  Souls  Unified  Baptismal  Presbytery  always 
has  a  warm  welcome  for  him." 

They  bowed  and  Mrs.  Rossmore  bowed.  The  agony 
was  over  and  as  the  door  closed  on  them  Mrs.  Ross- 
more  gave  a  sigh  of  relief. 

That  evening  Stott  and  the  judge  came  home  earlier 
than  usual  and  from  their  dejected  appearance  Mrs. 
Rossmore  divined  bad  news.  The  judge  was  pain 
fully  silent  throughout  the  meal  and  Stott  was  unusu 
ally  grave.  Finally  the  latter  took  her  aside  and  broke 
it  to  her  gently.  In  spite  of  their  efforts  and  the  efforts 
of  their  friends  the  Congressional  inquiry  had  resulted 
in  a  finding  against  the  judge  and  a  demand  had  al 
ready  been  made  upon  the  Senate  for  his  impeachment. 
They  could  do  nothing  now  but  fight  it  in  the  Senate 
with  all  the  influence  they  could  muster.  It  was  going 

147 


THE   LION  & 

to  be  hard  but  Stott  was  confident  that  right  would 
prevail.  After  dinner  as  they  were  sitting  in  silence 
on  the  porch,  each  measuring  the  force  of  this  blow 
which  they  had  expected  yet  had  always  hoped  to  ward 
off,  the  crunching  sound  of  a  bicycle  was  heard  on 
the  quiet  country  road.  The  rider  stopped  at  their 
gate  and  came  up  the  porch  holding  out  an  envelope 
to  the  judge,  who,  guessing  the  contents,  had  started 
forward.  He  tore  it  open.  It  was  a  cablegram  from 
Paris  and  read  as  follows: 
Am  sailing  on  the  Kaiser  Wilhelm  to-day. 

Shirley. 


148 


THE   MOUSE 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE  pier  of  the  North  German  Lloyd  Steamship 
Company,   at   Hoboken,    fairly   sizzled   with 
bustle  and  excitement.    The  Kaiser  Wilhelm 
had  arrived  at  Sandy  Hook  the  previous  evening  and 
was  now  lying  out  in  midstream.     She  would  tie  up 
at  her  dock  within  half  an  hour.    Employes  of  the  line, 
baggage  masters,  newspaper  reporters,  Custom  House 
officers,  policemen,  detectives,  truck  drivers,  express 
men,  longshoremen,  telegraph  messengers  and  anxious 
friends  of  incoming  passengers  surged  back  and  forth 
in   seemingly   hopeless   confusion.     The   shouting   of 
orders,  the  rattling  of  cab  wheels,  the  shrieking  of 
whistles  was  deafening.     From  out  in  the  river  came 
the  deep  toned  blasts  of  the  steamer's  siren,  in  gro 
tesque  contrast  with  the  strident  tooting  of  a  dozen 
diminutive   tugs   which,   puffing   and    snorting,    were 
slowly  but  surely  coaxing  the  leviathan  into  her  berth 
alongside  the  dock.    The  great  vessel,  spick  and  span 
after  a  coat  of  fresh  paint  hurriedly  put  on  during  the 
last  day  of  the  voyage,  bore  no  traces  of  gale,  fog  and 
stormy   seas  through  which   she  had  passed  on  her 

149 


THE    LION  & 

3,000  mile  run  across  the  ocean.  Conspicuous  on  the 
bridge,  directing  the  docking  operations,  stood  Capt. 
Hegermann,  self  satisfied  and  smiling,  relieved  that  the 
responsibilities  of  another  trip  were  over,  and  at  his 
side,  sharing  the  honours,  was  the  grizzled  pilot  who 
had  brought  the  ship  safely  through  the  dangers  of 
Gedney's  Channel,  his  shabby  pea  jacket,  old  slouch 
hat,  top  boots  and  unkempt  beard  standing  out  in  sharp 
contrast  with  the  immaculate  white  duck  trousers,  the 
white  and  gold  caps  and  smart  full  dress  uniforms  of 
the  ship's  officers.  The  rails  on  the  upper  decks  were 
seen  to  be  lined  with  passengers,  all  dressed  in  their 
shore  going  clothes,  some  waving  handkerchiefs  at 
friends  they  already  recognized,  all  impatiently  await 
ing  the  shipping  of  the  gangplank. 

Stott  had  come  early.  They  had  received  word  at 
Massapequa  the  day  before  that  the  steamer  had  been 
sighted  off  Fire  Island  and  that  she  would  be  at  her 
pier  the  next  morning  at  10  o'clock.  Stott  arrived  at 
9.30  and  so  found  no  difficulty  in  securing  a  front 
position  among  the  small  army  of  people,  who,  like 
himself,  had  come  down  to  meet  friends. 

As  the  huge  vessel  swung  round  and  drew  closer, 
Stott  easily  picked  out  Shirley.  She  was  scanning 
eagerly  through  a  binocular  the  rows  of  upturned 
faces  on  the  dock,  and  he  noted  that  a  look  of  disap- 

150 


THE    MOUSE 

pointment  crossed  her  face  at  not  finding  the  object  of 
her  search.  She  turned  and  said  something  to  a  lady 
in  black  and  to  a  man  who  stood  at  her  side.  Who 
they  might  be  Stott  had  no  idea.  Fellow  passengers, 
no  doubt.  One  becomes  so  intimate  on  shipboard;  it 
seems  a  friendship  that  must  surely  last  a  lifetime, 
whereas — the  custom  officers  have  not  finished  rum 
maging  through  your  trunks  when  these  easily-made 
steamer  friends  are  already  forgotten.  Presently  Shir 
ley  took  another  look  and  her  glass  soon  lighted  on 
him.  Instantly  she  recognized  her  father's  old  friend. 
She  waved  a  handkerchief  and  Stott  raised  his  hat. 
Then  she  turned  quickly  and  spoke  again  to  her 
friends,  whereupon  they  all  moved  in  the  direction  of 
the  gangplank,  which  was  already  being  lowered. 

Shirley  was  one  of  the  first  to  come  ashore.  Stott 
was  waiting  for  her  at  the  foot  of  the  gangplank  and 
she  threw  her  arms  round  his  neck  and  kissed  him. 
He  had  known  her  ever  since  she  was  a  little  tot  in 
arms,  and  bystanders  who  noticed  them  meet  had  no 
doubt  that  they  were  father  and  daughter.  Shirley 
was  deeply  moved ;  a  great  lump  in  her  throat  seemed 
to  choke  her  utterance.  So  far  she  had  been  able 
to  bear  up,  but  now  that  home  was  so  near  her  heart 
failed  her.  She  had  hoped  to  find  her  father  on  the 
dock.  Why  had  he  not  come?  Were  things  so  bad 


THE    LION  & 

then?  She  questioned  Judge  Stott  anxiously,  fearfully. 

He  reassured  her.  Both  her  mother  and  father  were 
well.  It  was  too  long  a  trip  for  them  to  make,  so  he 
had  volunteered. 

1  Too  long  a  trip,"  echoed  Shirley  puzzled.  "  This 
is  not  far  from  our  house.  Madison  Avenue  is  no 
distance.  That  could  not  have  kept  father  away." 

"  You  don't  live  on  Madison  Avenue  any  longer. 
The  house  and  its  contents  have  been  sold,"  replied 
Stott  gravely,  and  in  a  few  words  he  outlined  the  situ 
ation  as  it  was. 

Shirley  listened  quietly  to  the  end  and  only  the  in 
creasing  pallor  of  her  face  and  an  occasional  nervous 
twitching  at  the  corner  of  her  mouth  betrayed  the 
shock  that  this  recital  of  her  father's  misfortunes  was 
to  her.  Ah,  this  she  had  little  dreamed  of !  Yet  why 
not?  It  was  but  logic.  When  wrecked  in  reputation, 
one  might  as  well  be  wrecked  in  fortune,  too.  What 
would  their  future  be,  how  could  that  proud,  sensitive 
man  her  father  bear  this  humiliation,  this  disgrace? 
To  be  condemned  to  a  life  of  obscurity,  social  ostra 
cism,  and  genteel  poverty!  Oh,  the  thought  was  un 
endurable!  She  herself  could  earn  money,  of  course. 
If  her  literary  work  did  not  bring  in  enough,  she 
could  teach  and  what  she  earned  would  help  out. 
Certainly  her  parents  should  never  want  for  anything 

152 


THE   MOUSE 

so  long  as  she  could  supply  it.  She  thought  bitterly 
how  futile  now  were  plans  of  marriage,  even  if  she 
had  ever  entertained  such  an  idea  seriously.  Hence 
forward,  she  did  not  belong  to  herself.  Her  life  must 
be  devoted  to  clearing  her  father's  name.  These  re 
flections  were  suddenly  interrupted  by  the  voice  of 
Mrs.  Blake  calling  out: 

"Shirley,  where  have  you  been?  We  lost  sight  of 
you  as  we  left  the  ship,  and  we  have  been  hunting  for 
you  ever  since." 

Her  aunt,  escorted  by  Jefferson  Ryder,  had  gone 
direct  to  the  Customs  desk  and  in  the  crush  they  had 
lost  trace  of  her.  Shirley  introduced  Stott. 

"  Aunt  Milly,  this  is  Judge  Stott,  a  very  old  friend 
of  father's.  Mrs.  Blake,  my  mother's  sister.  Mother 
will  be  surprised  to  see  her.  They  haven't  met  for 
ten  years." 

"  This  visit  is  going  to  be  only  a  brief  one,"  said 
Mrs.  Blake*  "  I  really  came  over  to  chaperone  Shirley 
more  than  anything  else." 

"  As  if  I  needed  chaperoning  with  Mr.  Ryder  for 
an  escort !  "  retorted  Shirley.  Then  presenting  Jeffer 
son  to  Stott  she  said : 

"  This  is  Mr.  Jefferson  Ryder — Judge  Stott.  Mr. 
Ryder  has  been  very  kind  to  me  abroad." 

The  two  men  bowed  and  shook  hands. 
153 


THE    LION  & 

"  Any  relation  to  J.  B.  ?  "  asked  Stott  good  humou-r- 
edly. 

"  His  son — that's  all,"  answered  Jefferson  lacon 
ically. 

Stott  now  looked  at  the  young  man  with  more  inter 
est.  Yes,  there  was  a  resemblance,  the  same  blue  eyes, 
the  fighting  jaw.  But  how  on  earth  did  Judge  Ross- 
more's  daughter  come  to  be  travelling  in  the  company 
of  John  Burkett  Ryder's  son  ?  The  more  he  thought  of 
it  the  more  it  puzzled  him,  and  while  he  cogitated 
Shirley  and  her  companions  wrestled  with  the  United 
States  Customs,  and  were  undergoing  all  the  tortures 
invented  by  Uncle  Sam  to  punish  Americans  for  going 
abroad. 

Shirley  and  Mrs.  Blake  were  fortunate  in  securing 
an  inspector  who  was  fairly  reasonable.  Of  course, 
he  did  not  for  a  moment  believe  their  solemn  state 
ment,  already  made  on  the  ship,  that  they  had  nothing 
dutiable,  and  he  rummaged  among  the  most  intimate 
garments  of  their  wardrobe  in  a  wholly  indecent  and 
unjustifiable  manner,  but  he  was  polite  and  they  fared 
no  worse  than  all  the  other  women  victims  of  this,  the 
most  brutal  custom  house  inspection  system  in  the 
world. 

Jefferson  had  the  misfortune  to  be  allotted  an  inspec 
tor  who  was  half  seas  over  with  liquor  and  the  man 

154 


THE   MOUSE 

was  so  insolent  and  threatening  in  manner  that  it 
was  only  by  great  self-restraint  that  Jefferson  con 
trolled  himself.  He  had  no  wish  to  create  a 
scandal  on  the  dock,  nor  to  furnish  good  "  copy " 
for  the  keen-eyed,  long-eared  newspaper  reporters 
who  would  be  only  too  glad  of  such  an  opportunity 
for  a  "  scare  head."  But  when  the  fellow  compelled 
him  to  open  every  trunk  and  valise  and  then  put  his 
grimy  hands  to  the  bottom  and  by  a  quick  upward 
movement  jerked  the  entire  contents  out  on  the  dock 
he  interfered: 

"  You  are  exceeding  your  authority,"  he  exclaimed 
hotly.  "  How  dare  you  treat  my  things  in  this  man 
ner?" 

The  drunken  uniformed  brute  raised  his  bloodshot, 
bleary  eyes  and  took  Jefferson  in  from  tip  to  toe.  He 
clenched  his  fist  as  if  about  to  resort  to  vio 
lence,  but  he  was  not  so  intoxicated  as  to  be  quite 
blind  to  the  fact  that  this  passenger  had  massive 
square  shoulders,  a  determined  jaw  and  probably  a 
heavy  arm.  So  contenting  himself  with  a  sneer,  he 
said: 

"  This  ain't  no  country  for  blooming  English  dooks. 
You're  not  in  England  now  you  know.  This  is  a 
free  country.  See  ?  " 

"I  see  this,"  replied  Jefferson,  furious,  "that  you 
155 


THE   LION  & 

are  a  cfrunken  ruffian  and  a  disgrace  to  the  uniform 
you  wear.  I  shall  report  your  conduct  immediately," 
with  which  he  proceeded  to  the  Customs  desk  to  lodge 
a  complaint. 

He  might  have  spared  himself  the  trouble.  The 
silver  haired,  distinguished  looking  old  officer  in 
charge  knew  that  Jefferson's  complaint  was  well 
founded,  he  knew  that  this  particular  inspector  was 
a  drunkard  and  a  discredit  to  the  government  which 
employed  him,  but  at  the  same  time  he  also  knew  that 
political  influence  had  been  behind  his  appointment  and 
that  it  was  unsafe  to  do  more  than  mildly  reprimand 
him.  When,  therefore,  he  accompanied  Jefferson  to 
the  spot  where  the  contents  of  the  trunks  lay  scattered 
in  confusion  all  over  the  dock,  he  merely  expostulated 
with  the  officer,  who  made  some  insolent  reply.  Seeing 
that  it  was  useless  to  lose  further  time,  Jefferson  re 
packed  his  trunks  as  best  he  could  and  got  them  on 
a  cab.  Then  he  hurried  over  to  Shirley's  party  and 
found  them  already  about  to  leave  the  pier. 

"  Come  and  see  us,  Jeff,"  whispered  Shirley  as  their 
cab  drove  through  the  gates. 

"Where,"  he  asked,  "Madison  Avenue?" 

She  hesitated  for  a  moment  and  then  replied  quickly  : 

"  No,  we  are  stopping  down  on  Long  Island  for  the 

156 


THE 

Summer— at  a   cute   little   place   called   Massapequa. 
Run  down  and  see  us." 

He  raised  his  hat  and  the  cab  drove  on. 


There  was  greater  activity  in  the  Rossmore  cottage 
at  Massapequa  than  there  had  been  any  day  since  the 
judge  and  his  wife  went  to  live  there.  Since  daybreak 
Eudoxia  had  been  scouring  and  polishing  in  honour  of 
the  expected  arrival  and  a  hundred  times  Mrs.  Ross- 
more  had  climbed  the  stairs  to  see  that  everything  was 
as  it  should  be  in  the  room  which  had  been  prepared  for 
Shirley.  It  was  not,  however,  without  a  passage  at 
arms  that  Eudoxia  consented  to  consider  the  idea  of 
an  addition  to  the  family.  Mrs.  Rossmore  had  said  to 
her  the  day  before : 

"  My  daughter  will  be  here  to-morrow,  Eudoxia." 

A  look  expressive  of  both  displeasure  and  astonish 
ment  marred  the  classic  features  of  the  hireling.  Put 
ting  her  broom  aside  and  placing  her  arms  akimbo  she 
exclaimed  in  an  injured  tone: 

"  And  it's  a  dayther  you've  got  now  ?  So  it's  three 
in  family  you  are !  When  I  took  the  place  it's  two  you 
tould  me  there  was !  " 

"Well,   with  your  kind  permission,"   replied   Mrs. 

157 


THE   LION  & 

Rossmore,  "there  will  be  three  in  future.  There  is 
nothing  in  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  that 
says  we  can't  have  a  daughter  without  consulting  our 
help,  is  there?" 

The  sarcasm  of  this  reply  did  not  escape  even  the 
dull-edged  wits  of  the  Irish  drudge.  She  relapsed  into 
a  dignified  silence  and  a  few  minutes  later  was  dis 
covered  working  with  some  show  of  enthusiasm. 

The  judge  was  nervous  and  fidgety.  He  made  a 
pretence  to  read,  but  it  was  plain  to  see  that  his  mind 
was  not  on  his  book.  He  kept  leaving  his  chair  to  go 
and  look  at  the  clock;  then  he  would  lay  the  volume 
aside  and  wander  from  room  to  room  like  a  lost  soul. 
His  thoughts  were  on  the  dock  at  Hoboken. 

By  noon  every  little  detail  had  been  attended  to  and 
there  was  nothing  further  to  do  but  sit  and  wait  for 
the  arrival  of  Stott  and  Shirley.  They  were  to  be  ex 
pected  any  moment  now.  The  passengers  had  prob 
ably  got  off  the  steamer  by  eleven  o'clock.  It  would 
take  at  least  two  hours  to  get  through  the  Customs 
and  out  to  Massapequa.  The  judge  and  his  wife  sat 
on  the  porch  counting  the  minutes  and  straining  their 
ears  to  catch  the  first  sound  of  the  train  from  New 
York. 

"  I  hope  Stott  broke  the  news  to  her  gently,"  said 
the  judge. 

158 


THE  MOUSE 

"  I  wish  we  had  gone  to  meet  her  ourselves,"  sighed 
his  wife. 

The  judge  was  silent  and  for  a  moment  or  two  he 
puffed  vigorously  at  his  pipe,  as  was  his  habit  when 
disturbed  mentally.  Then  he  said : 

"  I  ought  to  have  gone,  Martha,  but  I  was  afraid. 
I'm  afraid  to  look  my  own  daughter  in  the  face  and 
tell  her  that  I  am  a  disgraced  man,  that  I  am  to  be 
tried  by  the  Senate  for  corruption,  perhaps  impeached 
and  turned  off  the  bench  as  if  I  were  a  criminal.  Shir 
ley  won't  believe  it,  sometimes  I  can't  believe  it  myself. 
I  often  wake  up  in  the  night  and  think  of  it  as  part 
of  a  dream,  but  when  the  morning  comes  it's  still  true 
—it's  still  true !  " 

He  smoked  on  in  silence.  Then  happening  to  look 
up  he  noticed  that  his  wife  was  weeping.  He  laid  his 
hand  gently  on  hers. 

"  Don't  cry,  dear,  don't  make  it  harder  for  me  to 
bear.  Shirley  must  see  no  trace  of  tears." 

"  I  was  thinking  of  the  injustice  of  it  all,"  replied 
Mrs.  Rossmore,  wiping  her  eyes. 

"Fancy  Shirley  in  this  place,  living  from  hand  to 
mouth,"  went  on  the  judge. 

"That's  the  least,"  answered  his  wife.  "She's  a 
fine,  handsome  girl,  well  educated  and  all  the  rest  of  it. 
She  ought  to  make  a  good  marriage."  No  matter  what 

159 


THE  LION  & 

state  of  mind  Mrs.  Rossmore  might  be  in,  she  never 
lost  sight  of  the  practical  side  of  things. 

"  Hardly  with  her  father's  disgrace  hanging  over 
her  head,"  replied  the  judge  wearily.  "Who,"  he 
added,  "  would  have  the  courage  to  marry  a  girl  whose 
father  was  publicly  disgraced  ?  " 

Both  relapsed  into  another  long  silence,  each  men 
tally  reviewing  the  past  and  speculating  on  the  future. 
Suddenly  Mrs.  Rossmore  started.  Surely  she  could 
not  be  mistaken!  No,  the  clanging  of  a  locomotive 
bell  was  plainly  audible.  The  train  was  in. .  From  the 
direction  of  the  station  came  people  with  parcels  and 
hand  bags  and  presently  there  was  heard  the  welcome 
sound  of  carriage  wheels  crunching  over  the  stones. 
A  moment  later  they  saw  coming  round  the  bend  in 
the  road  a  cab  piled  up  with  small  baggage. 

"  Here  they  are !  Here  they  are !  "  cried  Mrs.  Ross- 
more.  "  Come,  Eudoxia !  "  she  called  to  the  servant, 
while  she  herself  hurried  down  to  the  gate.  The  judge, 
fully  as  agitated  as  herself,  only  showing  his  emotion 
in  a  different  way,  remained  on  the  porch  pale  and 
anxious. 

The  cab  stopped  at  the  curb  and  Stott  alighted,  first 
helping  out  Mrs.  Blake.  Mrs.  Rossmore's  astonish 
ment  on  seeing  her  sister  was  almost  comical. 

"  Milly !  "  she  exclaimed. 
160 


;J 


Father!  Father!     What  have  they 
done  to  you?" — Page  161. 


THE   MOUSE 

Tney  embraced  first  and  explained  afterwards. 
Then  Shirley  got  out  and  was  in  her  mother's  arms. 

"Where's  father?"  was  Shirley's  first  question. 

"  There— he's  coming !  " 

The  judge,  unable  to  restrain  his  impatience  longer, 
ran  down  from  the  porch  towards  the  gate.  Shirley, 
with  a  cry  of  mingled  grief  and  joy,  precipitated  her 
self  on  his  breast. 

"  Father !  Father !  "  she  cried  between  her  sobs. 
"  What  have  they  done  to  you  ?  " 

:<  There — there,  my  child.  Everything  will  be  well— 
everything  will  be  well." 

Her  head  lay  on  his  shoulder  and  he  stroked  her 
hair  with  his  hand,  unable  to  speak  from  pent  up  emo 
tion. 

Mrs.  Rossmore  could  not  recover  from  her  stupe 
faction  on  seeing  her  sister.  Mrs.  Blake  explained 
that  she  had  come  chiefly  for  the  benefit  of  the  voyage 
and  announced  her  intention  of  returning  on  the  same 
steamer. 

"  So  you  see  I  shall  bother  you  only  a  few  days,"  she 
said. 

"  You'll  stay  just  as  long  as  you  wish,"  rejoined 
Mrs.  Rossmore.  "  Happily  we  have  just  one  bedroom 
left."  Then  turning  to  Eudoxia,  who  was  wrestling 

161 


THE   LION  & 

with  the  baggage,  which  formed  a  miniature  Matter- 
horn  on  the  sidewalk,  she  gave  instructions : 

"  Eudoxia,  you'll  take  this  lady's  baggage  to  the 
small  bedroom  adjoining  Miss  Shirley's.  She  is  going 
to  stop  with  us  for  a  few  days." 

Taken  completely  aback  at  the  news  of  this  new 
addition,  Eudoxia  looked  at  first  defiance.  She  seemed 
on  the  point  of  handing  in  her  resignation  there  and 
then.  But  evidently  she  thought  better  of  it,  for,  taking 
a  cue  from  Mrs.  Rossmore,  she  asked  in  the  sarcastic 
manner  of  her  mistress : 

"  Four  is  it  now,  M'm  ?  I  suppose  the  Constitootion 
of  the  United  States  allows  a  family  to  be  as  big  as 
one  likes  to  make  it.  It's  hard  on  us  girls,  but  if  it's 
the  law,  it's  all  right,  M'm.  The  more  the  merrier !  " 
With  which  broadside,  she  hung  the  bags  all  over  her 
self  and  staggered  off  to  the  house. 

Stott  explained  that  the  larger  pieces  and  the  trunks 
would  come  later  by  express.  Mrs.  Rossmore  took 
him  aside  while  Mrs.  Blake  joined  Shirley  and  the 
judge. 

"Did  you  tell  Shirley?"  asked  Mrs.  Rossmore. 
"How  did  she  take  it?" 

"  She  knows  everything,"  answered  Stott,  "  and 
takes  it  very  sensibly.  We  shall  find  her  of  great 

162 


THE    MOUSE 

moral  assistance  in  our  coming  fight  in  the  Senate," 
he  added  confidently. 

Realizing  that  the  judge  would  like  to  be  left  alone 
with  Shirley,  Mrs.  Rossmore  invited  Mrs.  Blake  to  go 
upstairs  and  see  the  room  she  would  have,  while  Stott 
said  he  would  be  glad  of  a  washup.  When  they  had 
gone  Shirley  sidled  up  to  her  father  in  her  old  familiar 
way. 

"  I've  just  been  longing  to  see  you,  father,"  she  said. 
She  turned  to  get  a  good  look  at  him  and  noticing  the 
lines  of  care  which  had  deepened  during  her  absence 
she  cried :  "  Why,  how  you've  changed !  I  can  scarcely 
believe  it's  you.  Say  something.  Let  me  hear  the 
sound  of  your  voice,  father." 

The  judge  tried  to  smile. 

"  Why,  my  dear  girl,  I " 

Shirley  threw  her  arms  round  his  neck. 

"  Ah,  yes,  now  I  know  it's  you,"  she  cried. 

"  Of  course  it  is,  Shirley,  my  dear  girl.  Of  course 
it  is.  Who  else  should  it  be?  " 

"Yes,  but  it  isn't  the  same,"  insisted  Shirley.  "There 
is  no  ring  to  your  voice.  It  sounds  hollow  and  empty, 
like  an  echo.  And  this  place,"  she  added  dolefully, 
"  this  awful  place " 

She  glanced  around  at  the  cracked  ceilings,  the 
cheaply  papered  walls,  the  shabby  furniture,  and  her 

163 


THE    LION   & 

heart  sank  as  she  realized  the  extent  of  their  misfor 
tune.  She  had  come  back  prepared  for  the  worst,  to 
help  win  the  fight  for  her  father's  honour,  but  to  have 
to  struggle  against  sordid  poverty  as  well,  to  endure 
that  humiliation  in  addition  to  disgrace — ah,  that  was 
something  she  had  not  anticipated  !  She  changed  colour 
and  her  voice  faltered.  Her  father  had  been  closely 
watching  for  just  such  signs  and  he  read  hoi*  thoughts. 

"  It's  the  best  we  can  afford,  Shirley,"  he  said 
quietly.  "  The  blow  has  been  complete.  I  will  tell 
you  everything.  You  shall  judge  for  yourself.  My 
enemies  have  done  for  me  at  last," 

"Your  enemies?"  cried  Shirley  eagerly.  "Tell  me 
who  they  are  so  I  may  go  to  them," 

"  Yes,  dear,  you  shall  know  everything.  But  not 
now.  You  are  tired  after  your  journey.  To-morrow 
sometime  Stott  and  I  will  explain  everything." 

"Very  well,  father,  as  you  wish,"  said  Shirley  gently. 
"  After  all,"  she  added  in  an  effort  to  appear  cheerful, 
"  what  matter  where  we  live  so  long  as  we  have  each 
other?" 

She  drew  away  to  hide  her  tears  and  left  the  room 
on  pretence  of  inspecting  the  house.  She  looked  into 
the  dining-room  and  kitchen  and  opened  the  cupboards, 
and  when  she  returned  there  were  no  visible  signs  of 
trouble  in  her  face. 

164 


THE   MOUSE 

"  It's  a  cute  little  house,  isn't  it?  "  she  said.  "  I've 
always  wanted  a  little  place  like  this — all  to  ourselves. 
Oh,  if  you  only  knew  how  tired  I  am  of  New  York 
and  its  great  ugly  houses,  its  retinue  of  servants  and 
its  domestic  and  social  responsibilities!  We  shall  be 
able  to  live  for  ourselves  now,  eh,  father  ?  " 

She -spoke  with  a  forced  gaiety  that  might  have  de 
ceived  anyone  but  the  judge.  He  understood  the  mo 
tive  of  her  sudden  change  in  manner  and  silently  he 
blessed  her  for  making  his  burden  lighter. 

"  Yes,  dear,  it's  not  bad/'  he  said.  "  There's  not 
much  room,  though." 

"  There's  quite  enough,"  she  insisted.  "  Let  me  see." 
She  began  to  count  on  her  fingers.  "  Upstairs — three 
rooms,  eh  ?  and  above  that  three  more " 

"No,"  smiled  the  judge,  "then  comes  the  roof?" 

"  Of  course,"  she  laughed,  "  how  stupid  of  me — a 
nice  gable  roof,  a  sloping  roof  that  the  rain  runs  off 
beautifully.  Oh,  I  can  see  that  this  is  going  to  be  aw 
fully  jolly — just  like  camping  out.  You  know  how  I 
love  camping  out.  And  you  have  a  piano,  too." 

She  went  over  to  the  corner  where  stood  one  of 
those  homely  instruments  which  hardly  deserve  to  be 
dignified  by  the  name  piano,  with  a  cheap,  gaudily 
painted  case  outside  and  a  tin  pan  effect  inside,  and 
which  are  usually  to  be  found  in  the  poorer  class  of 

165 


THE   LION  & 

country  boarding  houses.  Shirley  sat  down  and  ran 
her  ringers  over  the  keys,  determined  to  like  every 
thing. 

"  It's  a  little  old,"  was  her  comment,  "  but  I  like 
these  zither  effects.  It's  just  like  the  sixteenth  century 
spinet.  I  can  see  you  and  mother  dancing  a  stately 
minuet,"  she  smiled. 

"What's  that  about  mother  dancing?"  demanded 
Mrs.  Rossmore,  who  at  that  instant  entered  the  room. 
Shirley  arose  and  appealed  to  her: 

"  Isn't  it  absurd,  mother,  when  you  come  to  think 
of  it,  that  anybody  should  accuse  father  of  being  cor 
rupt  and  of  having  forfeited  the  right  to  be  judge? 
Isn't  it  still  more  absurd  that  we  should  be  helpless 
and  dejected  and  unhappy  because  we  are  on  Long 
Island  instead  of  Madison  Avenue?  Why  should 
Manhattan  Island  be  a  happier  spot  than  Long  Island  ? 
Why  shouldn't  we  be  happy  anywhere;  we  have  each 
other.  And  we  do  need  each  other.  We  never  knew 
how  much  till  to-day,  did  we?  We  must  stand  by  each 
other  now.  Father  is  going  to  clear  his  name  of  this 
preposterous  charge  and  we're  going  to  help  him,  aren't 
we,  mother?  We're  not  helpless  just  because  we  are 
women.  We're  going  to  work,  mother  and  I." 

"Work?"  echoed  Mrs.  Rossmore,  somewhat  scan 
dalized. 

166 


THE   MOUSE 

"  Work/'  repeated  Shirley  very  decisively. 

The  judge  interfered.    He  would  not  hear  of  it. 

"  You  work,  Shirley  ?    Impossible !  " 

"  Why  not?  My  book  has  been  selling  well  while  I 
was  abroad.  I  shall  probably  write  others.  Then  I 
shall  write,  too,  for  the  newspapers  and  magazines.  It 
will  add  to  our  income." 

"Your  book — 'The  American  Octopus,'  is  selling 
well?"  inquired  the  judge,  interested. 

"So  well,"  replied  Shirley,  "that  the  publishers 
wrote  me  in  Paris  that  the  fourth  edition  was  now  on 
the  press.  That  means  good  royalties.  I  shall  soon 
be  a  fashionable  author.  The  publishers  will  be  after 
me  for  more  books  and  we'll  have  all  the  money  we 
want.  Oh,  it  is  so  delightful,  this  novel  sensation  of 
a  literary  success !  "  she  exclaimed  with  glee.  "  Aren't 
you  proud  of  me,  dad  ?  " 

The  judge  smiled  indulgently.  Of  course  he  was 
glad  and  proud.  He  always  knew  his  Shirley  was  a 
clever  girl.  But  by  what  strange  fatality,  he  thought 
to  himself,  had  his  daughter  in  this  book  of  hers  as 
sailed  the  very  man  who  had  encompassed  his  own 
ruin?  It  seemed  like  the  retribution  of  heaven.  Neither 
his  daughter  nor  the  financier  was  conscious  of  the 
fact  that  each  was  indirectly  connected  with  the  im 
peachment  proceedings.  Ryder  could  not  dream  that 

167 


THE    LION  & 

"  Shirley  Green,"  the  author  of  the  book  which  flayed 
him  so  mercilessly,  was  the  daughter  of  the  man  he 
was  trying  to  crush.  Shirley,  on  the  other  hand,  was 
still  unaware  of  the  fact  that  it  was  Ryder  who  had 
lured  her  father  to  his  ruin. 

Mrs.  Rossmore  now  insisted  on  Shirley  going  to  her 
room  to  rest.  She  must  be  tired  and  dusty.  After 
changing  her  travelling  dress  she  would  feel  refreshed 
and  more  comfortable.  When  she  was  ready  to  come 
down  again  luncheon  would  be  served.  So  leaving  the 
judge  to  his  papers,  mother  and  daughter  went  upstairs 
together,  and  with  due  maternal  pride  Mrs.  Rossmore 
pointed  out  to  Shirley  all  the  little  arrangements  she 
had  made  for  her  comfort.  Then  she  left  her  daughter 
to  herself  while  she  hurried  downstairs  to  look  after 
Eudoxia  and  luncheon. 

When,  at  last,  she  could  lock  herself  in  her  room 
where  no  eye  could  see  her,  Shirley  threw  herself  down 
on  the  bed  and  burst  into  a  torrent  of  tears.  She  had 
kept  up  appearances  as  long  as  it  was  possible,  but 
now  the  reaction  had  set  in.  She  gave  way  freely  to 
her  pent  up  feelings,  she  felt  that  unless  she  could  re 
lieve  herself  in  this  way  her  heart  would  break.  She 
had  been  brave  until  now,  she  had  been  strong  to  hear 
everything  and  see  everything,  but  she  could  not  keep 
it  up  forever.  Stott's  words  to  her  on  the  dock  had  in 

168 


THE   MOUSE 

part  prepared  her  for  the  worst,  he  had  told  her  what 
to  expect  at  home,  but  the  realization  was  so  much 
more  vivid.  While  hundreds  of  miles  of  ocean  still  lay 
between,  it  had  all  seemed  less  real,  almost  attractive 
as  a  romance  in  modern  life,  but  now  she  was  face  to 
face  with  the  grim  reality — this  shabby  cottage,  cheap 
neighbourhood  and  commonplace  surroundings,  her 
mother's  air  of  resignation  to  the  inevitable,  her 
father's  pale,  drawn  face  telling  so  eloquently  of  the 
keen  mental  anguish  through  which  he  had  passed. 
She  compared  this  pitiful  spectacle  with  what  they  had 
been  when  she  left  for  Europe,  the  fine  mansion  on 
Madison  Avenue  with  its  rich  furnishings  and  well- 
trained  servants,  and  her  father's  proud  aristocratic 
face  illumined  with  the  consciousness  of  his  high  rank 
in  the  community,  and  the  attention  he  attracted  every 
time  he  appeared  on  the  street  or  in  public  places  as 
one  of  the  most  brilliant  and  most  respected  judges  on 
the  bench.  Then  to  have  come  to  this  all  in  the  brief 
space  of  a  few  months!  It  was  incredible,  terrible, 
heart  rending !  And  what  of  the  future  ?  What  was 
to  fre  done  to  save  her  father  from  this  impeachment 
which  she  knew  well  would  hurry  him  to  his  grave? 
He  could  not  survive  that  humiliation,  that  degrada 
tion.  He  must  be  saved  in  the  Senate,  but  how — how  ? 
She  dried  her  eyes  and  began  to  think,  Surely  her 

169 


THE   LION   & 

woman's  wit  would  find  some  way.  She  thought  of 
Jefferson.  Would  he  come  to  Massapequa?  It  was 
hardly  probable.  He  would  certainly  learn  of  the 
change  in  their  circumstances  and  his  sense  of  delicacy 
would  naturally  keep  him  away  for  some  time  even  if 
other  considerations,  less  unselfish,  did  not.  Perhaps 
he  would  be  attracted  to  some  other  girl  he  would  like 
as  well  and  who  was  not  burdened  with  a  tragedy  in 
her  family.  Her  tears  began  to  flow  afresh  until  she 
hated  herself  for  being  so  weak  while  there  was  work 
to  be  done  to  save  her  father.  She  loved  Jefferson. 
Yes,  she  had  never  felt  so  sure  of  it  as  now.  She  felt 
that  if  she  had  him  there  at  that  moment  she  would 
throw  herself  in  his  arms  crying :  "  Take  me,  Jeffer 
son,  take  me  away,  where  you  will,  for  I  love  you !  I 
love  you !  "  But  Jefferson  was  not  there  and  the  rick 
ety  chairs  in  the  tiny  bedroom  and  the  cheap  prints  on 
the  walls  seemed  to  jibe  at  her  in  her  misery.  If  he 
were  there,  she  thought  as  she  looked  into  a  cracked 
mirror,  he  would  think  her  very  ugly  with  her  eyes  all 
red  from  crying.  He  would  not  marry  her  now  in  any 
case.  No  self-respecting  man  would.  She  was  glad 
that  she  had  spoken  to  him  as  she  had  in  regard  to 
marriage,  for  while  a  stain  remained  upon  her  father's 
name  marriage  was  out  of  the  question.  She  might 
have  yielded  on  the  question  of  the  literary  career,  but 

170 


THE   MOUSE 

she  would  never  allow  a  man  to  taunt  her  afterwards 
with  the  disgrace  of  her  own  flesh  and  blood.  No, 
henceforth  her  place  was  at  her  father's  side  until  his 
character  was  cleared.  If  the  trial  in  the  Senate  were 
to  go  against  him,  then  she  could  never  see  Jefferson 
again.  She  would  give  up  all  idea  of  him  and  every 
thing  else.  Her  literary  career  would  be  ended,  her 
life  would  be  a  blank.  They  would  have  to  go  abroad, 
where  they  were  not  known,  and  try  and  live  down 
their  shame,  for  no  matter  how  innocent  her  father 
might  be  the  world  would  believe  him  guilty.  Once 
condemned  by  the  Senate,  nothing  could  remove  the 
stigma.  She  would  have  to  teach  in  order  to  contribute 
towards  the  support,  they  would  manage  somehow.  But 
what  a  future,  how  unnecessary,  how  unjust! 

Suddenly  she  thought  of  Jefferson's  promise  to 
interest  his  father  in  their  case  and  she  clutched  at  the 
hope  this  promise  held  out  as  a  drowning  man  clutches 
at  a  drifting  straw.  Jefferson  would  not  forget  his 
promise  and  he  would  come  to  Massapequa  to  tell  her 
of  what  he  had  done.  She  was  sure  of  that.  Perhaps, 
after  all,  there  was  where  their  hope  lay.  Why  had 
she  not  told  her  father  at  once  ?  It  might  have  relieved 
his  mind.  John  Burkett  Ryder,  the  Colossus,  the  man 
of  unlimited  power !  He  could  save  her  father  and  he 
would.  And  the  more  she  thought  about  it,  the  more 

171 


THE   LION  & 

cheerful  and  more  hopeful  she  became,  and  she  started 
to  dress  quickly  so  that  she  might  hurry  down  to  tell 
her  father  the  good  news.  She  was  actually  sorry  now 
that  she  had  said  so  many  hard  things  of  Mr.  Ryder 
in  her  book  and  she  was  worrying  over  the  thought 
that  her  father's  case  might  be  seriously  prejudiced  if 
the  identity  of  the  author  were  ever  revealed,  when 
there  came  a  knock  at  her  door.  It  was  Eudoxia. 
"  Please,  miss,  will  you  come  down  to  lunch  ?  " 


172 


TEE   MOUSE 


CHAPTER   VIII 

A  WHIRLING  maelstrom  of  human  activity  and 
dynamic  energy — the  city  which  above  all 
others  is  characteristic  of  the  genius  and 
virility  of  the  American  people — New  York,  with  its 
congested  polyglot  population  and  teeming-  millions,  is 
assuredly  one  of  the  busiest,  as  it  is  one  of  the  most 
strenuous  and  most  noisy  places  on  earth.  Yet,  despite 
its  swarming  streets  and  crowded  shops,  ceaselessly 
thronged  with  men  and  women  eagerly  hurrying  here 
and  there  in  the  pursuit  of  business  or  elusive  pleasure, 
all  chattering,  laughing,  shouting  amid  the  deafening, 
multisonous  roar  of  traffic  incidental  to  Gotham's  daily 
life,  there  is  one  part  of  the  great  metropolis  where 
there  is  no  bustle,  no  noise,  no  crowd,  where  the  streets 
are  empty  even  in  daytime,  where  a  passer-by  is  a  curi 
osity  and  a  child  a  phenomenon.  This  deserted  village 
in  the  very  heart  of  the  big  town  is  the  millionaires' 
district,  the  boundaries  of  which  are  marked  by  Car 
negie  hill  on  the  north,  Fiftieth  Street  on  the  south, 
and  by  Fifth  and  Madison  Avenues  respectively  on  the 
west  and  east.  There  is  nothing  more  mournful  than 

173 


THE    LION  & 

the  outward  aspect  of  these  princely  residences  which, 
abandoned  and  empty  for  three-quarters  of  the  year, 
stand  in  stately  loneliness,  as  if  ashamed  of  their  isola 
tion  and  utter  uselessness.  Their  blinds  drawn,  afford 
ing  no  hint  of  life  within,  enveloped  the  greater  part 
of  the  time  in  the  stillness  and  silence  of  the  tomb, 
they  appear  to  be  under  the  spell  of  some  baneful  curse. 
No  merry- voiced  children  romp  in  their  carefully  railed 
off  gardens,  no  sounds  of  conversation  or  laughter 
come  from  their  hermetically  closed  windows,  not  a 
soul  goes  in  or  out,  at  most,  at  rare  intervals,  does  one 
catch  a  glimpse  of  a  gorgeously  arrayed  servant  glid 
ing  about  in  ghostly  fashion,  supercilious  and  suspi 
cious,  and  addressing  the  chance  visitor  in  awed  whis 
pers  as  though  he  were  the  guardian  of  a  house  of 
affliction.  It  is,  indeed,  like  a  city  of  the  dead. 

So  it  appeared  to  Jefferson  as  he  walked  up  Fifth 
Avenue,  bound  for  the  Ryder  residence,  the  day  fol 
lowing  his  arrival  from  Europe.  Although  he  still 
lived  at  his  father's  house,  for  at  no  time  had  there 
been  an  open  rupture,  he  often  slept  in  his  studio, 
finding  it  more  convenient  for  his  work,  and  there  he 
had  gone  straight  from  the  ship.  He  felt,  however, 
that  it  was  his  duty  to  see  his  mother  as  soon  as  pos 
sible;  besides  he  was  anxious  to  fulfil  his  promise  to 
Shirley  and  find  what  his  father  could  do  to  help  Judge 

174 


THE   MOUSE 

Rossmore.  He  had  talked  about  the  case  with  several 
men  the  previous  evening  at  the  club  and  the  general 
impression  seemed  to  be  that,  guilty  or  innocent,  the 
judge  would  be  driven  off  the  bench.  The  "  interests  " 
had  forced  the  matter  as  a  party  issue,  and  the  Repub 
licans  being  in  control  in  the  Senate  the  outcome  could 
hardly  be  in  doubt.  He  had  learned  also  of  the  other 
misfortunes  which  had  befallen  Judge  Rossmore  and  he 
understood  now  the  reason  for  Shirley's  grave  face  on 
the  dock  and  her  little  fib  about  summering  on  Long 
Island.  The  news  had  been  a  shock  to  him,  for,  apart 
from  the  fact  that  the  judge  was  Shirley's  father,  he 
admired  him  immensely  as  a  man.  Of  his  perfect  in 
nocence  there  could,  of  course,  be  no  question:  these 
charges  of  bribery  had  simply  been  trumped  up  by  his 
enemies  to  get  him  off  the  bench.  That  was  very  evi 
dent.  The  "  interests  "  feared  him  and  so  had  sacri 
ficed  him  without  pity,  and  as  Jefferson  walked  along 
Central  Park,  past  the  rows  of  superb  palaces  which 
face  its  eastern  wall,  he  wondered  in  which  particular 
mansion  had  been  hatched  this  wicked,  iniquitous  plot 
against  a  wholly  blameless  American  citizen.  Here, 
he  thought,  were  the  citadels  of  the  plutocrats,  Amer 
ica's  aristocracy  of  money,  the  strongholds  of  her  Coal, 
Railroad,  Oil,  Gas  and  Ice  barons,  the  castles  of  her 
monarchs  of  Steel,  Copper,  and  Finance.  Each  of 

175 


THE   LION  & 

these  million-dollar  residences,  he  pondered,  was  filled 
from  cellar  to  roof  with  costly  furnishings,  master 
pieces  of  painting  and  sculpture,  priceless  art  treasures 
of  all  kinds  purchased  in  every  corner  of  the  globe 
with  the  gold  filched  from  a  Trust-ridden  people.  For 
every  stone  in  those  marble  halls  a  human  being;  other 
than  the  owner,  had  been  sold  into  bondage,  for  each 
of  these  magnificent  edifices,  which  the  plutocrat  put 
up  in  his  pride  only  to  occupy  it  two  months  in  the 
year,  ten  thousand  American  men,  women  and  children 
had  starved  and  sorrowed. 

Europe,  thought  Jefferson  as  he  strode  quickly  along, 
pointed  with  envy  to  America's  unparalleled  prosperity, 
spoke  with  bated  breath  of  her  great  fortunes.  Rather 
should  they  say  her  gigantic  robberies,  her  colossal 
frauds !  As  a  nation  we  were  not  proud  of  our  multi 
millionaires.  How  many  of  them  would  bear  the  Search 
light  of  investigation?  Would  his  own  father?  How 
many  millions  could  one  man  make  by  honest  methods  ? 
America  was  enjoying  unprecedented  prosperity,  not 
because  of  her  millionaires,  but  in  spite  of  them.  The 
United  States  owed  its  high  rank  in  the  family  of 
nations  to  the  country's  vast  natural  resources,  its  in 
exhaustible  vitality,  its  great  wheat  fields,  the  indus 
trial  and  mechanical  genius  of  its  people.  It  was  the 
plain  American  citizen  who  had  made  the  greatness 


THE  MOUSE 

of  America,  not  the  millionaires  who,  forming  a  class 
by  themselves  of  unscrupulous  capitalists,  had  created 
an  arrogant  oligarchy  which  sought  to  rule  the  country 
by  corrupting  the  legislature  and  the  judiciary.     The 
plutocrats — these  were  the  leeches,  the   sores  in  the 
body  politic.    An  organized  band  of  robbers,  they  had 
succeeded  in  dominating  legislation  and  in  securing 
control  of  every  branch  of  the  nation's  industry,  crush 
ing  mercilessly  and  illegally  all  competition.     They 
were  the  Money  Power,  and  such  a  menace  were  they 
to  the  welfare  of  the  people  that,  it  had  been  estimated, 
twenty  men  in  America  had  it  in  their  power*  by  reason 
of  the  vast  wealth  which  they  controlled,  to  come  to 
gether,   and   within   twenty-four   hours   arrive   at   an 
understanding  by  which  every  wheel  of  trade  and  com 
merce  would  be  stopped  from  revolving,  every  avenue 
of  trade  blocked  and  every  electric  key  struck  dumb. 
Those  twenty  men  could  paralyze  the  whole  country, 
for  they  controlled  the  circulation  of  the  currency  and 
could  create  a  panic  whenever  they  might  choose.     It 
was  the  rapaciousness  and  insatiable  greed  of  these 
plutocrats  that  had  forced  the  toilers  to  combine  for 
self-protection,   resulting   in   the   organization   of  the 
Labor  Unions  which,  in  time,  became  almost  as  tyran 
nical  and  unreasonable  as  the  bosses.    And  the  breach 
between  capital  on  the  one  hand  and  labour  on  the 

177 


THE   LION  & 

other  was  widening  daily,  masters  and  servants  snarl 
ing  over  wages  and  hours,  the  quarrel  ever  increasing 
in  bitterness  and  acrimony  until  one  day  the  extreme 
limit  of  patience  would  be  reached  and  industrial 
strikes  would  give  place  to  bloody  violence. 

Meantime  the  plutocrats,  wholly  careless  of  the  sig 
nificant  signs  of  the  times  and  the  growing  irritation 
and  resentment  of  the  people,  continued  their  illegal 
practices,  scoffing  at  public  opinion,  snapping  their 
fingers  at  the  law,  even  going  so  far  in  their  insolence 
as  to  mock  and  jibe  at  the  President  of  the  United 
States.  Feeling  secure  in  long  immunity  and  actually 
protected  in  their  wrong  doing  by  the  courts — the  legal 
machinery  by  its  very  elaborateness  defeating  the  ends 
of  justice — the  Trust  kings  impudently  defied  the  coun 
try  and  tried  to  impose  their  own  will  upon  the  peo 
ple.  History  had  thus  repeated  itself.  The  armed 
feudalism  of  the  middle  ages  had  been  succeeded  in 
twentieth  century  America  by  the  tyranny  of  capital. 

Yet,  ruminated  the  young  artist  as  he  neared  the 
Ryder  residence,  the  American  people  had  but  them 
selves  to  blame  for  their  present  thralldom.  Forty 
years  before  Abraham  Lincoln  had  warned  the  coun 
try  when  at  the  close  of  the  war  he  saw  that  the  race 
for  wealth  was  already  making  men  and  women 
money-mad.  In  1864  he  wrote  these  words : 

178 


THE   MOUSE 

"  Yes,  we  may  congratulate  ourselves  that  this  cruel 
war  is  nearing  its  close.  It  has  cost  a  vast  amount 
of  treasure  and  blood.  The  best  blood  of  the  flower 
of  American  youth  has  been  freely  offered  upon  our 
country's  altar  that  the  nation  might  live.  It  has  been 
indeed  a  trying  hour  for  the  Republic,  but  I  see  in  the 
near  future  a  crisis  approaching  that  unnerves  me  and 
causes  me  to  tremble  for  the  safety  of  my  country. 
As  a  result  of  the  war,  corporations  have  been  en 
throned  and  an  era  of  corruption  in  high  places  will 

follow  and  the  money  power  of  the  country  will  en- 
i 

deavor  to  prolong  its  reign  by  working  upon  the  preju 
dices  of  the  people  until  all  the  wealth  is  aggregated 
in  a  few  hands  and  the  Republic  is  destroyed." 

Truly  prophetic  these  solemn  words  were  to-day. 
Forgetting  the  austere  simplicity  of  their  forebears,  a 
love  of  show  and  ostentation  had  become  the  ruling 
passion  of  the  American  people.  Money,  MONEY, 
MONEY !  was  to-day  the  only  standard,  the  only  god ! 
The  whole  nation,  frenzied  with  a  wild  lust  for  wealth 
no  matter  how  acquired,  had  tacitly  acquiesced  in  all 
sorts  of  turpitude,  every  description  of  moral  deprav 
ity,  and  so  had  fallen  an  easy  victim  to  the  band  of 
capitalistic  adventurers  who  now  virtually  ruled  the 
land.  With  the  thieves  in  power,  the  courts  were 
powerless,  the  demoralization  was  general  and  the 

179 


THE  LION  & 

world  was  afforded  the  edifying  spectacle  of  an  entire 
country  given  up  to  an  orgy  of  graft — treason  in  the 
Senate — corruption  in  the  Legislature,  fraudulent  elec 
tions,  leaks  in  government  reports,  trickery  in  Wall 
Street,  illegal  corners  in  coal,  meat,  ice  and  other 
prime  necessaries  of  life,  the  deadly  horrors  of  the 
Beef  and  Drug  Trusts,  railroad  conspiracies,  insurance 
scandals,  the  wrecking  of  savings  banks,  police  dividing 
spoils  with  pickpockets  and  sharing  the  wages  of  pros 
titutes,  magistrates  charged  with  blackmailing — a  foul 
stench  of  social  rottenness  and  decay !  What,  thought 
Jefferson,  would  be  the  outcome — Socialism  or  An 
archy  ? 

Still,  he  mused,  one  ray  of  hope  pierced  the  general 
gloom — the  common  sense,  the  vigour  and  the  intelli 
gence  of  the  true  American  man  and  woman,  the  love 
for  a  "  square  deal  "  which  was  characteristic  of  the 
plain  people,  the  resistless  force  of  enlightened  public 
opinion.  The  country  was  merely  passing  through  a 
dark  phase  in  its  history,  it  was  the  era  of  the  grafters. 
There  would  come  a  reaction,  the  rascals  would  be 
exposed  and  driven  off,  and  the  nation  would  go  on 
upward  toward  its  high  destiny.  The  country  was 
fortunate,  too,  in  having  a  strong  president,  a  man  of 
high  principles  and  undaunted  courage  who  had  al 
ready  shown  his  capacity  to  deal  with  the  critical  situa- 

180 


THE  MOUSE 

tion.  America  was  lucky  With  her  presidents.  Picked 
out  by  the  great  political  parties  as  mere  figureheads, 
sometimes  they  deceived  their  sponsors,  and  shoWed 
themselves  men  and  patriots.  Such  a  president  was 
Theodore  Roosevelt.  After  beginning  vigorous  war 
fare  on  the  Trusts,  attacking  fearlessly  the  most  ras 
cally  of  the  band,  the  chief  of  the  nation  had  sounded 
the  slogan  of  alarm  in  regard  to  the  multi-million 
aires.  The  amassing  of  colossal  fortunes,  he  had  de 
clared,  must  be  stopped — a  man  might  accumulate  more 
than  sufficient  for  his  own  needs  and  for  the  needs  of 
his  children,  but  the  evil  practice  of  perpetuating  great 
and  ever-increasing  fortunes  for  generations  yet  un 
born  was  recognized  as  a  peril  to  the  State.  To  have 
had  the  courage  to  propose  such  a  sweeping  and  radical 
restrictive  measure  as  this  should  alone,  thought  Jef 
ferson,  ensure  for  Theodore  Roosevelt  a  place  among 
America's  greatest  and  wisest  statesmen.  He  and 
Americans  of  his  calibre  would  eventually  perform  the 
titanic  task  of  cleansing  these  Augean  stables,  the 
muck  and  accumulated  filth  of  which  was  sapping  the 
health  and  vitality  of  the  nation. 

Jefferson  turned  abruptly  and  went  up  the  wide 
steps  of  an  imposing  white  marble  edifice,  which  took 
up  the  space  of  half  a  city  block.  A  fine  example  of 
French  Renaissance  architecture,  with  spire  roofs, 

181 


THE   LION  & 

round  turrets  and  mullioned  windows  dominating  the 
neighbouring  houses,  this  magnificent  home  of  the 
plutocrat,  with  its  furnishings  and  art  treasures,  had 
cost  John  Burkett  Ryder  nearly  ten  millions  of  dollars. 
It  was  one  of  the  show  places  of  the  town,  and  when 
the  "  rubber  neck "  wagons  approached  the  Ryder 
mansion  and  the  guides,  through  their  megaphones, 
expatiated  in  awe-stricken  tones  on  its  external  and 
hidden  beauties,  there  was  a  general  craning  of  verte 
brae  among  the  "  seeing  New  York  "-ers  to  catch  a 
glimpse  of  the  abode  of  the  richest  man  in  the  world. 
Only  a  few  privileged  ones  were  ever  permitted  to 
penetrate  to  the  interior  of  this  ten-million-dollar  home. 
Ryder  was  not  fond  of  company,  he  avoided  strangers 
and  lived  in  continual  apprehension  of  the  subpoena 
server.  Not  that  he  feared  the  law,  only  he  usually 
found  it  inconvenient  to  answer  questions  in  court 
under  oath.  The  explicit  instructions  to  the  servants, 
therefore,  were  to  admit  no  one  under  any  pretext 
whatever  unless  the  visitor  had  been  approved  by  the 
Hon.  Fitzroy  Bagley,  Mr.  Ryder's  aristocratic  private 
secretary,  and  to  facilitate  this  preliminary  inspection 
there  had  been  installed  between  the  library  upstairs 
and  the  front  door  one  of  those  ingenious  electric 
writing  devices,  such  as  are  used  in  banks,  on  which 
a  name  is  hastily  scribbled,  instantly  transmitted  else- 

182 


THE   MOUSE 

where,  immediately  answered  and  the  visitor  promptly 
admitted  or  as  quickly  shown  the  door. 

Indeed  the  house,  from  the  street,  presented  many 
of  the  characteristics  of  a  prison.  It  had  massive 
doors  behind  a  row  of  highly  polished  steel  gates, 
which  would  prove  as  useful  in  case  of  attempted  in 
vasion  as  they  were  now  ornamental,  and  heavily 
barred  windows,  while  on  either  side  of  the  portico 
were  great  marble  columns  hung  with  chains  and  sur 
mounted  with  bronze  lions  rampant.  It  was  unusual 
to  keep  the  town  house  open  so  late  in  the  summer, 
but  Mr.  Ryder  was  obliged  for  business  reasons  to  be 
in  New  York  at  this  time,  and  Mrs.  Ryder,  who  was 
one  of  the  few  American  wives  who  do  not  always  get 
their  own  way,  had  good-naturedly  acquiesced  in  the 
wishes  of  her  lord. 

Jefferson  did  not  have  to  ring  at  the  paternal  portal. 
The  sentinel  within  was  at  his  post;  no  one  could  ap 
proach  that  door  without  being  seen  and  his  arrival 
and  appearance  signalled  upstairs.  But  the  great 
man's  son  headed  the  list  of  the  privileged  ones,  so 
without  ado  the  smartly  dressed  flunkey  opened  wide 
the  doors  and  Jefferson  was  under  his  father's  roof. 

"  Is  my  father  in  ?  "  he  demanded  of  the  man. 

"  No,  sir,"  was  the  respectful  answer.  "  Mr.  Ryder 
has  gone  out  driving,  but  Mr.  Bagley  is  upstairs," 

183 


THE   LION  & 

Then  after  a  brief  pause  he  added :  "  Mrs.  Ryder  is  in, 
too." 

In  this  household  where  the  personality  of  the  mis 
tress  Was  so  completely  overshadowed  by  the  stronger 
personality  of  the  master  the  latter's  secretary  was  a 
more  important  personage  to  the  servants  than  the 
unobtrusive  wife. 

Jefferson  went  up  the  grand  staircase  hung  on  either 
side  with  fine  old  portraits  and  rare  tapestries,  his  feet 
sinking  deep  in  the  rich  velvet  carpet.  On  the  first 
landing  was  a  piece  of  sculptured  marble  of  inestimable 
worth,  seen  in  the  soft  warm  light  that  sifted  through 
a  great  pictorial  stained-glass  window  overhead,  the 
subject  representing  Ajax  and  Ulysses  contending  for 
the  armour  of  Achilles.  To  the  left  of  this,  at  the  top 
of  another  flight  leading  to  the  library,  was  hung  a 
fine  full-length  portrait  of  John  Burkett  Ryder.  The 
ceilings  here  as  in  the  lower  hall  were  richly  gilt  and 
adorned  with  paintings  by  famous  modern  artists. 
When  he  reached  this  floor  Jefferson  was  about  to 
turn  to  the  right  and  proceed  direct  to  his  mother's 
suite  when  he  heard  a  voice  near  the  library  door. 
It  was  Mr.  Bagley  giving  instructions  to  the  butler. 

The  Honourable  Fitzroy  Bagley,  a  younger  son  of 
a  British  peer,  had  left  his  country  for  his  country's 
good,  and  in  order  to  turn  an  honest  penny,  which 

184 


THE  MOUSE 

he  had  never  succeeded  in  doing  at  home,  he  had  en 
tered  the  service  of  America's  foremost  financier,  hop 
ing  to  gather  a  few  of  the  crumbs  that  fell  from  the 
rich  man's  table  and  disguising  the  menial  nature  of 
his  position  under  the  high-sounding  title  of  private 
secretary.  His  job  called  for  a  spy  and  a  toady  and 
he  filled  these  requirements  admirably.  Excepting 
with  his  employer,  of  whom  he  stood  in  craven  fear, 
his  manner  was  condescendingly  patronizing  to  all 
with  whom  he  came  in  contact,  as  if  he  were  anxious 
to  impress  on  these  American  plebeians  the  signal  hon 
our  which  a  Fitzroy,  son  of  a  British  peer,  did  them 
in  deigning  to  remain  in  their  "  blarsted "  country. 
In  Mr.  Ryder's  absence,  therefore,  he  ran  the  house 
to  suit  himself,  bullying  the  servants  and  not  infre 
quently  issuing  orders  that  were  contradictory  to  those 
already  given  by  Mrs.  Ryder.  The  latter  offered  no 
resistance,  she  knew  he  was  useful  to  her  husband 
and,  what  to  her  mirid  was  a  still  better  reason  for 
letting  him  have  his  own  way,  she  had  always  had 
the  greatest  reverence  for  the  British  aristocracy.  It 
would  have  seemed  to  her  little  short  of  vulgarity  to 
question  the  actions  of  anyone  who  spoke  with  such 
a  delightful  English  accent.  Moreover,  he  dressed 
with  irreproachable  taste,  was  an  acknowledged  au 
thority  on  dinner  menus  and  social  functions  and 

185 


THE   LION  & 

knew   his   Burke   backwards — altogether   an   accom 
plished  and  invaluable  person. 

Jefferson  could  not  bear  the  sight  of  him;  in  fact, 
it  was  this  man's  continual  presence  in  the  house  that 
had  driven  him  to  seek  refuge  elsewhere.  He  be 
lieved  him  to  be  a  scoundrel  as  he  certainly  was  a  cad. 
Nor  was  his  estimate  of  the  English  secretary  far 
wrong.  The  man,  like  his  master,  was  a  grafter,  and 
the  particular  graft  he  was  after  now  was  either  to 
make  a  marriage  with  a  rich  American  girl  or  to  so 
compromise  her  that  the  same  end  would  be  attained. 
He  was  shrewd  enough  to  realize  that  he  had  little 
chance  to  get  what  he  wanted  in  the  open  matrimonial 
market,  so  he  determined  to  attempt  a  raid  and  carry 
off  an  heiress  under  her  father's  nose,  and  the  particu 
lar  proboscis  he  had  selected  was  that  of  his  employer's 
friend,  Senator  Roberts.  The  senator  and  Miss 
Roberts  were  frequently  at  the  Ryder  House  and  in 
course  of  time  the  aristocratic  secretary  and  the  daugh 
ter  had  become  quite  intimate.  A  flighty  girl,  with 
no  other  purpose  in  life  beyond  dress  and  amuse 
ment  and  having  what  she  termed  "  a  good  time,"  Kate 
thought  it  excellent  pastime  to  flirt  with  Mr.  Bagley, 
and  when  she  discovered  that  he  was  serious  in  his 
attentions  she  felt  flattered  rather  than  indignant. 
After  all,  she  argued,  he  was  of  noble  birth.  If  his 

186 


THE   MOUSE 

two  brothers  died  he  would  be  peer  of  England,  and 
she  had  enough  money  for  both.  He  might  not  make 
a  bad  husband.  But  she  was  careful  to  keep  her  own 
counsel  and  not  let  her  father  have  any  suspicion  of 
what  was  going  on.  She  knew  that  his  heart  was  set 
on  her  marrying  Jefferson  Ryder  and  she  knew  better 
than  anyone  how  impossible  that  dream  was.  She  her 
self  liked  Jefferson  quite  enough  to  marry  him,  but  if 
his  eyes  were  turned  in  another  direction — and  she 
knew  all  about  his  attentions  to  Miss  Rossmore — she 
was  not  going  to  break  her  heart  about  it.  So  she 
continued  to  flirt  secretly  with  the  Honourable  Fitzroy 
while  she  still  led  the  Ryders  and  her  own  father  to 
think  that  she  was  interested  in  Jefferson. 

"  Jorkins,"  Mr.  Bagley  was  saying  to  the  butler, 
"  Mr.  Ryder  will  occupy  the  library  on  his  return.  See 
that  he  is  not  disturbed." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  butler  respectfully.  The 
man  turned  to  go  when  the  secretary  called  him  back. 

"  And,  Jorkins,  you  will  station  another  man  at  the 
front  entrance.  Yesterday  it  was  left  unguarded,  and 
a  man  had  the  audacity  to  address  Mr.  Ryder  as  he 
was  getting  out  of  his  carriage.  Last  week  a  reporter 
tried  to  snapshot  him.  Mr.  Ryder  was  furious.  These 
things  must  not  happen  again,  Jorkins.  I  shall  hold 
you  responsible." 


THE  LION  & 

"Very  good,  sir."  The  butlef  bowed  and  went 
downstairs.  The  secretary  looked  up  and  saw  Jef 
ferson.  His  face  reddened  and  his  manner  grew 
nervous. 

"Hello!  Back  from  Europe,  Jefferson?  How 
jolly!  Your  mother  will  be  delighted.  She's  in  her 
room  upstairs." 

Declining  to  take  the  hint,  and  gathering  from  Bag- 
ley's  embarrassed  manner  that  he  wanted  to  get  rid 
of  him,  Jefferson  lingered  purposely.  When  the  butler 
had  disappeared,  he  said: 

"  This  house  is  getting  more  and  more  like  a  bar 
racks  every  day.  You've  got  men  all  over  the  place. 
One  can't  move  a  step  without  falling  over  one." 

Mr.  Bagley  drew  himself  up  stiffly,  as  he  always 
did  when  assuming  an  air  of  authority. 

"  Your  father's  personality  demands  the  utmost  pre 
caution,"  he  replied.  "  We  cannot  leave  the  life  of 
the  richest  and  most  powerful  financier  in  the  world 
at  the  mercy  of  the  rabble." 

"  What  rabble  ?  "  inquired  Jefferson,  amused. 

;<  The  common  rabble — the  lower  class — the  riff 
raff,"  explained  Mr.  Bagley. 

"  Pshaw !  "  laughed  Jefferson.  "  If  our  financiers 
were  only  half  as  respectable  as  the  common  rabble, 

188 


THE  MOUST& 

as  you  call  them,  they  would  need  no  bars  to  their 
houses." 

Mr.  Bagley  sneered  and  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  Your  father  has  warned  me  against  your  social 
istic  views."  Then,  with  a  lofty  air,  he  added :  "  For 
four  years  I  was  third  groom  of  the  bedchamber  to 
the  second  son  of  England's  queen.  I  know  my  re 
sponsibilities." 

"  But  you  are  not  groom  of  the  bedchamber  here," 
retorted  Jefferson. 

"  Whatever  I  am,"  said  Mr.  Bagley  haughtily,  "  I 
am  answerable  to  your  father  alone." 

"  By  the  way,  Bagley,"  asked  Jefferson,  "  when  do 
you  expect  father  to  return?  I  want  to  see  him." 

"  I'm  afraid  it's  quite  impossible,"  answered  the  sec 
retary  with  studied  insolence.  "  He  has  three  impor 
tant  people  to  see  before  dinner.  There's  the  National 
Republican  Committee  and  Sergeant  Ellison  of  the 
Secret  Service  from  Washington — all  here  by  appoint- 
.ment.  It's  quite  impossible." 

"  I  didn't  ask  you  if  it  were  possible.  I  said  I 
wanted  to  see  him  and  I  will  see  him,"  answered  Jef 
ferson  quietly  but  firmly,  and  in  a  tone  and  manner 
which  did  not  admit  of  further  opposition.  "  I'll  go 
and  leave  word  for  him  on  his  desk,"  he  added. 

He  started  to  enter  the  library  when  the  secretary, 
189 


THE   LION  & 

who  was  visibly  perturbed,  attempted  to  bar  his 
way. 

"  There's  some  one  in  there,"  he  said  in  an  under 
tone.  "  Someone  waiting  for  your  father." 

"  Is  there?  "  replied  Jefferson  coolly.  "  I'll  see  who 
it  is,"  with  which  he  brushed  past  Mr.  Bagley  and 
entered  the  library. 

He  had  guessed  aright.  A  woman  was  there.  It 
was  Kate  Roberts. 

"Hello,  Kate!  how  are  you?"  They  called  each 
other  by  their  first  names,  having  been  acquainted  for 
years,  and  while  theirs  was  an  indifferent  kind  of 
friendship  they  had  always  been  on  good  terms.  At 
one  time  Jefferson  had  even  begun  to  think  he  might 
do  what  his  father  wished  and  marry  the  girl,  but  it 
was  only  after  he  had  met  and  known  Shirley  Ross- 
more  that  he  realized  how  different  one  woman  can 
be  from  another.  Yet  Kate  had  her  good  qualities. 
She  was  frivolous 'and  silly  as  are  most  girls  with  no 
brains  and  nothing  else  to  do  in  life  but  dress  and 
spend  money,  but  she  might  yet  be  happy  with  some 
other  fellow,  and  that  was  why  it  made  him  angry  to 
see  this  girl  with  $100,000  in  her  own  right  playing 
into  the  hands  of  an  unscrupulous  adventurer.  He  had 
evidently  disturbed  an  interesting  tete-a-tete.  He  de 
cided  to  say  nothing,  but  mentally  he  resolved  to  spoil 

190 


THE  MOUSE 

Mr.  Bagley's  game  and  save  Kate  from  her  own  folly. 
On  hearing  his  voice  Kate  turned  and  gave  a  little  cry 
of  genuine  surprise. 

"Why,  is  it  you,  Jeff?  I  thought  you  were  in 
Europe." 

"  I  returned  yesterday,"  he  replied  somewhat  curtly. 
He  crossed  over  to  his  father's  desk  where  he  sat 
down  to  scribble  a  few  words,  while  Mr.  Bagley,  who 
had  followed  him  in  scowling,  was  making  frantic 
dumb  signs  to  Kate. 

"  I  fear  I  intrude  here,"  said  Jefferson  pointedly.- 

"  Oh,  dear  no,  not  at  all,"  replied  Kate  in  some  con 
fusion.  "  I  was  waiting  for  my  father.  How  is 
Paris  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Lovely  as  ever,"  he  answered. 

"Did  you  have  a  good  time  ?  "  she  inquired. 
' "  I  enjoyed  it  immensely.    I  never  had  a  better  one." 

"  You  probably  were  in  good  company,"  she  said 
significantly.  Then  she  added :  "  I  believe  Miss  Ross- 
more  was  in  Paris." 

"  Yes,  I  think  she  was  there,"  was  his  non-committal 
answer. 

To  change  the  conversation,  which  was  becoming 
decidedly  personal,  he  picked  up  a  book  that  was  lying 
on  his  father's  desk  and  glanced  at  the  title.  It  was 
"  The  American  Octopus." 

191 


THE  LION  & 

"  Is  father  still  reading  this  ?  "  he  asked.  "  He  was 
at  it  when  I  left." 

"  Everybody  is  reading  it,"  said  Kate.  "  The  book 
has  made  a  big  sensation.  Do  you  know  who  the  hero 
is?" 

"  Who  ?  "  he  asked  with  an  air  of  the  greatest  inno 
cence. 

"  Why,  no  less  a  personage  than  your  father — John 
Burkett  Ryder  himself!  Everybody  says  it's  he — the 
press  and  everybody  that's  read  it.  He  says  so  him 
self." 

"  Really  ?  "  he  exclaimed  with  well-simulated  sur 
prise.  "  I  must  read  it." 

"  It  has  made  a  strong  impression  on  Mr.  Ryder," 
chimed  in  Mr.  Bagley.  "  I  never  knew  him  to  be  so 
interested  in  a  book  before.  He's  trying  his  best  to 
find  out  who  the  author  is.  It's  a  jolly  well  written 
book  and  raps  you  American  millionaires  jolly  well — 
what?" 

"  Whoever  wrote  the  book,"  interrupted  Kate,  "  is 
somebody  who  knows  Mr.  Ryder  exceedingly  well. 
There  are  things  in  it  that  an  outsider  could  not  pos 
sibly  know." 

"  Phew !  "  Jefferson  whistled  softly  to  himself.  He 
was  treading  dangerous  ground.  To  conceal  his  em 
barrassment,  he  rose. 

192 


THE   MOUSE 

"  If  you'll  excuse  me,  I'll  go  and  pay  my  filial  re 
spects  upstairs.  I'll  see  you  again."  He  gave  Kate  a 
friendly  nod,  and  without  even  glancing  at  Mr.  Bagley 
left  the  room. 

The  couple  stood  in  silence  for  a  few  moments  after 
he  disappeared.  Then  Kate  went  to  the  door  and  lis 
tened  to  his  retreating  footsteps.  When  she  was  sure 
that  he  was  out  of  earshot  she  turned  on  Mr.  Bagley 
indignantly. 

"  You  see  what  you  expose  me  to.  Jefferson  thinks 
this  was  a  rendezvous/' 

"  Well,  it  was  to  a  certain  extent,"  replied  the  sec 
retary  unabashed.  "  Didn't  you  ask  me  to  see  you 
here?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Kate,  taking  a  letter  from  her  bosom, 
"  I  wanted  to  ask  you  what  this  means  ?  " 

"  My  dear  Miss  Roberts — Kate — I  " — stammered 
the  secretary. 

"  How  dare  you  address  me  in  this  manner  when 
you  know  I  and  Mr.  Ryder  are  engaged  ?  " 

No  one  knew  better  than  Kate  that  this  was  not 
true,  but  she  said  it  partly  out  of  vanity,  partly  out  of 
a  desire  to  draw  out  this  Englishman  who  made  such 
bold  love  to  her. 

"  Miss  Roberts,"  replied  Mr.  Bagley  loftily,  "  in  that 
note  I  expressed  my  admiration — my  love  for  you. 

193 


THE  LION  & 

Your  engagement  to  Mr.  Jefferson  Ryder  is,  to  say 
the  least,  a  most  uncertain  fact."  There  was  a  tinge 
of  sarcasm  in  his  voice  that  did  not  escape  Kate. 

"  You  must  not  judge  from  appearances,"  she  an 
swered,  trying  to  keep  up  the  outward  show  of  indig 
nation  which  inwardly  she  did  not  feel.  "Jeff  and  I 
may  hide  a  passion  that  burns  like  a  volcano.  All 
lovers  are  not  demonstrative,  you  know." 

The  absurdity  of  this  description  as  applied  to  her 
relations  with  Jefferson  appealed  to  her  as  so  comical 
that  she  burst  into  laughter  in  which  the  secretary 
joined. 

"  Then  why  did  you  remain  here  with  me  when  the 
Senator  went  out  with  Mr.  Ryder,  senior  ?  "  he  de 
manded. 

"  To  tell  you  that  I  cannot  listen  to  your  nonsense 
any  longer,"  retorted  the  girl. 

"  What  ?  "  he  cried,  incredulously.  "  You  remain 
here  to  tell  me  that  you  cannot  listen  to  me  when  you 
could  easily  have  avoided  listening  to  me  without  tell 
ing  me  so.  Kate,  your  coldness  is  not  convincing." 

"  You  mean  you  think  I  want  to  listen  to  you  ?  " 
she  demanded. 

"  I  do,"  he  answered,  stepping  forward  as  if  to  take 
her  in  his  arms. 

"  Mr.  Bagley !  "  she  exclaimed,  recoiling. 
194 


THE   MOUSE 

"A  week  ago,"  he  persisted,  "you  called  me  Fitz- 
roy.  Once,  in  an  outburst  of  confidence,  you  called 
me  Fitz." 

"You  hadn't  asked  me  to  marry  you  then,"  she 
laughed  mockingly.  Then  edging  away  towards  the 
door  she  waved  her  hand  at  him  playfully  and  said 
teasingly :  "  Good-bye,  Mr.  Bagley,  I  am  going  up 
stairs  to  Mrs.  Ryder.  I  will  await  my  father's  return 
in  her  room.  I  think  I  shall  be  safer." 

He  ran  forward  to  intercept  her,  but  she  was  too 
quick  for  him.  The  door  slammed  in  his  face  and  she 
was  gone. 

Meantime  Jefferson  had  proceeded  upstairs,  passing 
through  long  and  luxuriously  carpeted  corridors  with 
panelled  frescoed  walls,  and  hung  with  grand  old  tapes 
tries  and  splendid  paintings,  until  he  came  to  his 
mother's  room.  He  knocked. 

"  Come  in !  "  called  out  the  familiar  voice. 

He  entered.  Mrs.  Ryder  was  busy  at  her  escritoire 
looking  over  a  mass  of  household  accounts. 

"  Hello,  mother !  "  he  cried,  running  up  and  hug 
ging  her  in  his  boyish,  impulsive  way.  Jefferson  had 
always  been  devoted  to  his  mother,  and  while  he  de 
plored  her  weakness  in  permitting  herself  to  be  so 
completely  under  the  domination  of  his  father,  she  had 
always  found  him  an  affectionate  and  laving  son. 

195 


THE    LION  & 

"  Jefferson !  "  she  exclaimed  when  he  released  her. 
"  My  dear  boy,  when  did  you  arrive?  " 

"  Only  yesterday.  I  slept  at  the  studio  last  night. 
You're  looking  bully,  mother.  How's  father?" 

Mrs.  Ryder  sighed  while  she  looked  her  son  over 
proudly.  In  her  heart  she  was  glad  Jefferson  had 
turned  out  as  he  had.  Her  boy  certainly  would  never 
be  a  financier  to  be  attacked  in  magazines  and  books. 
Answering  his  question  she  said : 

"Your  father  is  as  well  as  those  busybodies  in  the 
newspapers  will  let  him  be.  He's  considerably  wor 
ried  just  now  over  that  new  book  'The  American 
Octopus.'  How  dare  they  make  him  out  such  a  mon 
ster?  He's  no  worse  than  other  successful  business 
men.  He's  richer,  that's  all,  and  it  makes  them  jealous. 
He's  out  driving  now  with  Senator  Roberts.  Kate  is 
somewhere  in  the  house— in  the  library,  I  think." 

"  Yes,  I  found  her  there,"  replied  Jefferson  dryly. 
"She  was  with  that  cad,  Bagley.  When  is  father 
going  to  find  that  fellow  out  ?  " 

"Oh,  Jefferson,"  protested  his  mother,  "how  can 
you  talk  like  that  of  Mr.  Bagley.  He  is  such  a  perfect 
gentleman.  His  family  connections  alone  should  en 
title  him  to  respect.  He  is  certainly  the  best  secretary 
your  father  ever  had.  I'm  sure  I  don't  know  what  we 

196 


THE   MOUSE 

should  do  without  him.  He  knows  everything  that  a 
gentleman  should." 

"  And  a  good  deal  more,  I  wager,"  growled  Jeffer 
son.  "He  wasn't  groom  of  the  backstairs  to  Eng 
land's  queen  for  nothing."  Then  changing  the  topic, 
he  said  suddenly :  "  Talking  about  Kate,  mother,  we 
have  got  to  reach  some  definite  understanding.  This 
talk  about  my  marrying  her  must  stop.  I  intend  to 
take  the  matter  up  with  father  to-day." 

"  Oh,  of  course,  more  trouble ! "  replied  his  mother 
in  a  resigned  tone.  She  was  so  accustomed  to  having 
her  wishes  thwarted  that  she  was  never  surprised  at 
anything.  "  We  heard  of  your  goings  on  in  Paris. 
That  Miss  Rossmore  was  there,  was  she  not?  " 

"  That  has  got  nothing  to  do  with  it,"  replied  Jef 
ferson  warmly.  He  resented  Shirley's  name  being 
dragged  into  the  discussion.  Then  more  calmly  he 
went  on :  "  Now,  mother,  be  reasonable,  listen.  I  pur 
pose  to  live  my  own  life.  I  have  already  shown  my 
father  that  I  will  not  be  dictated  to,  and  that  I  can 
earn  my  own  living.  He  has  no  right  to  force  this 
marriage  on  me.  There  has  never  been  any  misunder 
standing  on  Kate's  part.  She  and  I  understand  each 
other  thoroughly." 

"  Well,  Jefferson,  you  may  be  right  from  your  point 
of  view,"  replied  his  mother  weakly.  She  invariably 

197 


THE   LION  & 

ended  by  agreeing  with  the  last  one  who  argued  with 
her.  "  You  are  of  age,  of  course.  Your  parents  have 
only  a  moral  right  over  you.  Only  remember  this :  it 
would  be  foolish  of  you  to  do  anything  now  to  anger 
your  father.  His  interests  are  your  interests.  Don't 
do  anything  to  jeopardize  them.  Of  course,  you  can't 
be  forced  to  marry  a  girl  you  don't  care  for,  but  your 
father  will  be  bitterly  disappointed.  He  had  set  his 
heart  on  this  match.  He  knows  all  about  your  infatua 
tion  for  Miss  Rossmore  and  it  has  made  him  furious. 
I  suppose  you've  heard  about  her  father  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  it's  a  dastardly  outrage,"  blurted  out 
Jefferson.  "  It's  a  damnable  conspiracy  against  one  of 
the  most  honourable  men  that  ever  lived,  and  I  mean 
to  ferret  out  and  expose  the  authors.  I  came  here  to 
day  to  ask  father  to  help  me." 

"  You  came  to  ask  your  father  to  help  you  ?  "  echoed 
his  mother  incredulously. 

"  Why  not?  "  demanded  Jefferson.  "  Is  it  true  then 
that  he  is  selfishness  incarnate?  Wouldn't  he  do  that 
much  to  help  a  friend  ?  " 

"  You've  come  to  the  wrong  house,  Jeff.  You  ought 
to  know  that.  Your  father  is  far  from  being  Judge 
Rossmore's  friend.  Surely  you  have  sense  enough  to 
realize  that  there  are  two  reasons  why  he  would  not 
raise  a  finger  to  help  him.  One  is  that  he  has  always 


THE   MOUSE 

been  his  opponent  in  public  life,  the  other  is  that  you 
want  to  marry  his  daughter." 

Jefferson  sat  as  if  struck  dumb.  He  had  not  thought 
of  that.  Yes,  it  was  true.  His  father  and  the  father 
of  the  girl  he  loved  were  mortal  enemies.  How  was 
help  to  be  expected  from  the  head  of  those  "  interests  " 
which  the  judge  had  always  attacked,  and  now  he 
came  to  think  of  it,  perhaps  his  own  father  was  really 
at  the  bottom  of  these  abominable  charges !  He  broke 
into  a  cold  perspiration  and  his  voice  was  altered  as 
he  said: 

"  Yes,  I  see  now,  mother.  You  are  right."  Then  he 
added  bitterly :  "  That  has  always  been  the  trouble  at 
home.  No  matter  where  I  turn,  I  am  up  against  a 
stone  wall — the  money  interests.  One  never  hears  a 
glimmer  of  fellow-feeling,  never  a  word  of  human 
sympathy,  only  cold  calculation,  heartless  reasoning, 
money,  money,  money !  Oh,  I  am  sick  of  it.  I  don't 
want  any  of  it.  I  am  going  away  where  I'll  hear  no 
more  of  it." 

His  mother  laid  her  hand  gently  on  his  shoulder. 

"  Don't  talk  that  way,  Jefferson.  Your  father  is  not 
a  bad  man  at  heart,  you  know  that.  His  life  has  been 
devoted  to  money  making  and  he  has  made  a  greater 
fortune  than  any  man  living  or  dead.  He  is  only  what 
his  life  has  made  him.  He  has  a  good  heart.  And 

199 


THE   LION  & 

he  loves  you — his  only  son.  But  his  business  enemies 
— ah!  those  he  never  forgives." 

Jefferson  was  about  to  reply  when  suddenly  a  dozen 
electric  bells  sounded  all  over  the  house. 

"  What's  that  ?  "  exclaimed  Jefferson,  alarmed,  and 
starting  towards  the  door. 

"  Oh,  that's  nothing,"  smiled  his  mother.  "We  have 
had  that  put  in  since  you  went  away.  Your  father 
must  have  just  come  in.  Those  bells  announce  the 
fact.  It  was  done  so  that  if  there  happened  to  be  any 
strangers  in  the  house  they  could  be  kept  out  of  the 
way  until  he  reached  the  library  safely." 

"  Oh,"  laughed  Jefferson,  "  he's  afraid  some  one 
will  kidnap  him?  Certainly  he  would  be  a  rich  prize. 
I  wouldn't  care  for  the  job  myself,  though.  They'd 
be  catching  a  tartar." 

His  speech  was  interrupted  by  a  timid  knock  at  the 
door. 

"  May  I  come  in  to  say  good-bye  ?  "  asked  a  voice 
which  they  recognized  as  Kate's.  She  had  successfully 
escaped  from  Mr.  Bagley's  importunities  and  was  now 
going  home  with  the  Senator.  She  smiled  amiably  at 
Jefferson  and  they  chatted  pleasantly  of  his  trip  abroad, 
He  was  sincerely  sorry  for  this  girl  whom  they  were 
trying  to  foist  on  him.  Not  that  he  thought  she  really 
cared  for  him,  he  was  well  aware  that  hers  was  a 

200 


THE  MOUSE 

nature  that  made  it  impossible  to  feel  very  deeply  on 
any  subject,  but  the  idea  of  this  ready-made  marriage 
was  so  foreign,  so  revolting  to  the  American  mind ! 
He  thought  it  would  be  a  kindness  to  warn  her  against 
Bagley. 

"  Don't  be  foolish,  Kate/'  he  said.  "  I  was  not  blind 
just  now  in  the  library.  That  man  is  no  good." 

As  is  usual  when  one's  motives  are  suspected,  the 
girl  resented  his  interference.  She  knew  he  hated  Mr. 
Bagley  and  she  thought  it  mean  of  him  to  try  and  get 
even  in  this  way.  She  stiffened  up  and  replied  coldly : 

"  I  think  I  am  able  to  look  after  myself,  Jefferson. 
Thanks,  all  the  same." 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  made  no  reply.  She 
said  good-bye  to  Mrs.  Ryder,  who  was  again  immersed 
in  her  tradespeople  bills,  and  left  the  room,  escorted 
by  Jefferson,  who  accompanied  her  downstairs  and  on 
to  the  street  where  Senator  Roberts  was  waiting  for 
her  in  the  open  victoria.  The  senator  greeted  with 
unusual -cordiality  the  young  man  whom  he  still  hoped 
to  make  his  son-in-law. 

"  Come  and  see  us,  Jefferson,"  he  said.  "  Come  to 
dinner  any  evening.  We  are  always  alone  and  Kate 
and  I  will  be  glad  to  see  you." 

"  Jefferson  has  so  little  time  now,  father.  His  work 
and — his  friends  keep  him  pretty  busy." 

201 


THE   LION  & 

Jefferson  had  noted  both  the  pause  and  the  sarcasm, 
but  he  said  nothing.  He  smiled  and  the  senator  raised 
his  hat.  As  the  carriage  drove  off  the  young  man 
noticed  that  Kate  glanced  at  one  of  the  upper  windows 
where  Mr.  Bagley  stood  behind  a  curtain  watching. 
Jefferson  returned  to  the  house.  The  psychological 
moment  had  arrived.  He  must  go  now  and  confront 
his  father  in  the  library. 


202 


THE   MOUSE 


CHAPTER   IX 

THE  library  was  the  most  important  room  in 
the  Ryder  mansion,  for  it  was  there  that  the 
Colossus  carried  through  his  most  important 
business  deals,  and  its  busiest  hours  were  those  which 
most  men  devote  to  rest.  But  John  Burkett  Ryder 
never  rested.  There  could  be  no  rest  for  any  man  who 
had  a  thousand  millions  of  dollars  to  take  care  of.  Like 
Macbeth,  he  could  sleep  no  more.  When  the  hum  of 
business  life  had  ceased  down  town  and  he  returned 
home  from  the  tall  building  in  lower  Broadway,  then 
his  real  work  began.  The  day  had  been  given  to  mere 
business  routine;  in  his  own  library  at  night,  free 
from  inquisitive  ears  and  prying  eyes,  he  could  devise 
new  schemes  for  strengthening  his  grip  upon  the 
country,  he  could  evolve  more  gigantic  plans  for  add 
ing  to  his  already  countless  millions. 

Here  the  money  Moloch  held  court  like  any  king, 
with  as  much  ceremony  and  more  secrecy,  and  having 
for  his  courtiers  some  of  the  most  prominent  men  in 
the  political  and  industrial  life  of  the  nation.  Corrupt 
(senators,  grafting  Congressmen,  ambitious  railroad 

203 


THE    LION   & 

presidents,  insolent  coal  barons  who  impudently 
claimed  they  administered  the  coal  lands  in  trust  for 
the  Almighty,  unscrupulous  princes  of  finance  and 
commerce,  all  visited  this  room  to  receive  orders  or 
pay  from  the  head  of  the  "  System."  Here  were  made 
and  unmade  governors  of  States,  mayors  of  cities, 
judges,  heads  of  police,  cabinet  ministers,  even  presi 
dents.  Here  were  turned  over  to  confidential  agents 
millions  of  dollars  to  overturn  the  people's  vote  in  the 
National  elections;  here  were  distributed  yearly  hun 
dreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  to  grafters,  large  and 
small,  who  had  earned  it  in  the  service  of  the  "in 
terests." 

Here,  secretly  and  unlawfully,  the  heads  of  railroads 
met  to  agree  on  rates  which  by  discriminating  against 
one  locality  in  favour  of  another  crushed  out  competi 
tion,  raised  the  cost  to  the  consumer,  and  put  millions 
in  the  pockets  of  the  Trust.  Here  were  planned  tricky 
financial  operations,  with  deliberate  intent  to  mislead 
and  deceive  the  investing  public,  operations  which 
would  send  stocks  soaring  one  day,  only  a  week  later 
to  put  Wall  Street  on  the  verge  of  panic.  Half  a 
dozen  suicides  might  result  from  the  coup,  but  twice 
as  many  millions  of  profits  had  gone  into  the  coffers 
of  the  "  System."  Here,  too,  was  perpetrated  the 
most  heinous  crime  that  can  be  committed  against  a 

204 


THE   MOUSE 

free  people — the  conspiring  of  the  Trusts  abetted  by 
the  railroads,  to  arbitrarily  raise  the  prices  of  the 
necessaries  of  life — meat,  coal,  oil,  ice,  gas — wholly 
without  other  justification  than  that  of  greed,  which, 
with  these  men,  was  the  unconquerable,  all-absorbing 
passion.  In  short,  everything  that  unscrupulous  leaders 
of  organized  capital  could  devise  to  squeeze  the  life 
blood  out  of  the  patient,  defenceless  toiler  was  done 
within  these  four  walls. 

It  was  a  handsome  room,  noble  in  proportions  and 
abundantly  lighted  by  three  large  and  deeply  recessed, 
mullioned  windows,  one  in  the  middle  of  the  room  and 
one  at  either  end.  The  lofty  ceiling  was  a  marvellously 
fine  example  of  panelled  oak  of  Gothic  design,  deco 
rated  with  gold,  and  the  shelves  for  books  which  lined 
the  walls  were  likewise  of  oak,  richly  carved.  In  the 
centre  of  the  wall  facing  the  windows  was  a  massive 
and  elaborately  designed  oak  chimney-piece,  reaching 
up  to  the  ceiling,  and  having  in  the  middle  panel  over 
the  mantel  a  fine  three-quarter  length  portrait  of 
George  Washington.  The  room  was  furnished  sump 
tuously  yet  quietly,  and  fully  in  keeping  with  the  rich 
collection  of  classic  and  modern  authors  that  filled  the 
bookcases,  and  in  corners  here  and  there  stood  pedes 
tals  with  marble  busts  of  Shakespeare,  Goethe  and 

205 


THE  LION  & 

Voltaire.  It  was  the  retreat  of  a  scholar  rather  than 
of  a  man  of  affairs. 

When  Jefferson  entered,  his  father  was  seated  at  his 
desk,  a  long  black  cigar  between  his  lips,  giving  in 
structions  to  Mr.  Bagley.  Mr.  Ryder  looked  up 
quickly  as  the  door  opened  and  the  secretary  made 
a  movement  forward  as  if  to  eject  the  intruder, 
no  matter  who  he  might  be.  They  were  not  accus 
tomed  to  having  people  enter  the  sanctum  of  the 
Colossus  so  unceremoniously.  But  when  he  saw  who 
it  was,  Mr.  Ryder's  stern,  set  face  relaxed  and  he 
greeted  his  son  amiably. 

"  Why,  Jeff,  my  boy,  is  that  you  ?  Just  a  moment, 
until  I  get  rid  of  Bagley,  and  I'll  be  with  you." 

Jefferson  turned  to  the  book  shelves  and  ran  over 
the  titles  while  the  financier  continued  his  business 
with  the  secretary. 

"Now,  Bagley.     Come,  quick.     What  is  it?" 

He  spoke  in  a  rapid,  explosive  manner,  like  a  man 
who  has  only  a  few  moments  to  spare  before  he  must 
rush  to  catch  a  train.  John  Ryder  had  been  catching 
trains  all  his  life,  and  he  had  seldom  missed  one. 

"  Governor  Rice  called.  He  wants  an  appointment," 
said  Mr.  Bagley,  holding  out  a  card. 

"  I  can't  see  him.  Tell  him  so,"  came  the  answer, 
206 


THE  MOUSE 

quick    as    a    flash.      "  Who    else  ? "    he    demanded. 
"Where's  your  list?" 

Mr.  Bagley  took  from  the  desk  a  list  of  names  and 
read  them  over. 

"  General  Abbey  telephoned.  He  says  you  prom 
ised " 

"  Yes,  yes/'  interrupted  Ryder  impatiently,  "  but 
not  here.  Down  town,  to-morrow,  any  time.  Next?  " 

The  secretary  jotted  down  a  note  against  each  name 
and  then  said : 

"  There  are  some  people  downstairs  in  the  reception 
room.  They  are  here  by  appointment." 

"Who  are  they?" 

"  The  National  Republican  Committee  and  Sergeant 
Ellison  of  the  Secret  Service  from  Washington,"  re 
plied  Mr.  Bagley. 

"Who  was  here  first?"  demanded  the  financier. 

"  Sergeant  Ellison,  sir." 

"  Then  I'll  see  him  first,  and  the  Committee  after 
wards.  But  let  them  all  wait  until  I  ring.  I  wish  to 
speak  with  my  son." 

He  waved  his  hand  and  the  secretary,  knowing  well 
from  experience  that  this  was  a  sign  that  there  must 
be  no  further  discussion,  bowed  respectfully  and  left 
the  room.  Jefferson  turned  and  advanced  towards  his 
father,  who  held  out  his  hand. 

207 


THE   LION  & 

"  Well,  Jefferson,"  he  said  kindly,  "  did  you  have  a 
good  time  abroad  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  thank  you.  Such  a  trip  is  a  liberal  edu 
cation  in  itself." 

"  Ready  for  work  again,  eh?  I'm  glad  you're  back, 
Jefferson.  I'm  busy  now,  but  one  of  these  days  I  want 
to  have  a  serious  talk  with  you  in  regard  to  your  fu 
ture.  This  artist  business  is  all  very  well — for  a  pas 
time.  But  it's  not  a  career — surely  you  can  appreciate 
that — for  a  young  man  with  such  prospects  as  yours. 
Have  you  ever  stopped  to  think  of  that  ?  " 

Jefferson  was  silent.  He  did  not  want  to  displease 
his  father;  on  the  other  hand,  it  was  impossible  to  let 
things  drift  as  they  had  been  doing.  There  must  be 
an  understanding  sooner  or  later.  Why  not  now? 

"  The  truth  is,  sir,"  he  began  timidly,  "  I'd  like  a 
little  talk  with  you  now,  if  you  can  spare  the  time." 

Ryder,  Sr.,  looked  first  at  his  watch  and  then  at  his 
son,  who,  ill  at  ease,  sat  nervously  on  the  extreme  edge 
of  a  chair.  Then  he  said  with  a  smile : 

"  Well,  my  boy,  to  be  perfectly  frank,  I  can't — but 
—I  will.  Come,  what  is  it?  "  Then,  as  if  to  apologize 
for  his  previous  abruptness,  he  added,  "  I've  had  a 
very  busy  day,  Jeff.  What  with  Trans-Continental 
and  Trans-Atlantic  and  Southern  Pacific,  and  Wall 

208 


THE  MOUSE 

Street,  and  Rate  Bills,  and  Washington  I  feel  like 
Atlas  shouldering  the  world." 

"  The  world  wasn't  intended  for  one  pair  of  shoul 
ders  to  carry,  sir/'  rejoined  Jefferson  calmly. 

His  father  looked  at  him  in  amazement.  It  was 
something  new  to  hear  anyone  venturing  to  question 
or  comment  upon  anything  he  said. 

"  Why  not?  "  he  demanded,  when  he  had  recovered 
from  his  surprise.  "  Julius  Caesar  carried  it.  Napo 
leon  carried  it — to  a  certain  extent.  However,  that's 
neither  here  nor  there.  What  is  it,  boy  ?  " 

Unable  to  remain  a  moment  inactive,  he  commenced 
to  pick  among  the  mass  of  papers  on  his  desk,  while 
Jefferson  was  thinking  what  to  say.  The  last  word 
his  father  uttered  gave  him  a  cue,  and  he  blurted  out 
protestingly : 

"  That's  just  it,  sir.  You  forget  that  I'm  no  longer 
a  boy.  It's  time  to  treat  me  as  if  I  were  a  man." 

Ryder,  Sr.,  leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  laughed 
heartily. 

"  A  man  at  twenty-eight?  That's  an  excellent  joke 
Do  you  know  that  a  man  doesn't  get  his  horse  sense 
till  he's  forty?" 

"  I  want  you  to  take  me  seriously,"  persisted  Jef 
ferson. 

Ryder,  Sr.,  was  not  a  patient  man.  His  moments 
209 


THE  LION  & 

of  gocxi  humour  were  of  brief  duration.  Anything 
that  savoured  of  questioning  his  authority  always  an 
gered  him.  The  smile  went  out  of  his  face  and  he 
retorted  explosively: 

"  Go  on — damn  it  all !  Be  serious  if  you  want,  only 
don't  take  so  long  about  it.  But  understand  one  thing. 
I  want  no  preaching,  no  philosophical  or  socialistic 
twaddle.  No  Tolstoi — he's  a  great  thinker,  and  you're 
not.  No  Bernard  Shaw — he's  funny,  and  you're  not. 
Now  go  ahead." 

This  beginning  was  not  very  encouraging,  and  Jef 
ferson  felt  somewhat  intimidated.  But  he  realized 
that  he  might  not  have  another  such  opportunity,  so 
he  plunged  right  in. 

"  I  should  have  spoken  to  you  before  if  you  had  let 
me,"  he  said.  "  I  often- 

"If  I  let  you?"  interrupted  his  father.  "Do  you 
expect  me  to  sit  and  listen  patiently  to  your  wild 
theories  of  social  reform?  You  asked  me  one  day 
why  the  wages  of  the  idle  rich  was  wealth  and  the 
wages  of  hard  work  was  poverty,  and  I  told  you  that 
I  worked  harder  in  one  day  than  a  tunnel  digger 
works  in  a  life-time.  Thinking  is  a  harder  game  than 
any.  You  must  think  or  you  won't  know.  'Napoleon 
knew  more  about  war  than  all  his  generals  put  to 
gether.  I  know  more  about  money  than  any  man 

2IO 


THE   MOUSE 

living  today.  The  man  who  knows  is  the  man  who 
wins.  The  man  who  takes  advice  isn't  fit  to  give  it. 
That's  why  I  never  take  yours.  Come,  don't  be  a 
fool,  Jeff — give  up  this  art  nonsense.  Come  back  to 
the  Trading  Company.  I'll  make  you  vice-president, 
and  I'll  teach  you  the  business  of  making  millions." 

Jefferson  shook  his  head.  It  was  hard  to  have  to 
tell  his  own  father  that  he  did  not  think  the  million- 
making  business  quite  a  respectable  one,  so  he  only 
murmured : 

"  It's  impossible,  father.  I  am  devoted  to  my  work. 
I  even  intend  to  go  away  and  travel  a  few  years  and 
see  the  world.  It  will  help  me  considerably." 

Ryder,  Sr.,  eyed  his  son  in  silence  for  a  few.  mo 
ments  ;  then  he  said  gently : 

"  Don't  be  obstinate,  Jeff.  Listen  to  me.  I  know 
the  world  better  than  you  do.  You  mustn't  go  away. 
You  are  the  only  flesh  and  blood  I  have." 

He  stopped  speaking  for  a  moment,  as  if  overcome 
by  a  sudden  emotion  over  which  he  had  no  control. 
Jefferson  remained  silent,  nervously  toying  with  a 
paper  cutter.  Seeing  that  his  words  had  made  no 
effect,  Ryder  thumped  his  desk  with  his  fist  and  cried : 

"  You  see  my  weakness.  You  see  that  I  want  you 
with  me,  and  now  you  take  advantage — you  take  ad 
vantage ' ' 

211 


THE   LION   & 

"No,  father,  I  don't,"  protested  Jefferson;  "  but  I 
want  to  go  away.  Although  I  have  my  studio  and 
am  practically  independent,  I  want  to  go  where  I  shall 
be  perfectly  free — where  my  every  move  will  not 
be  watched — where  I  can  meet  my  fellow-man  heart 
to  heart  on  an  equal  basis,  where  I  shall  not  be  pointed 
out  as  the  son  of  Ready  Money  Ryder.  I  want  to 
make  a  reputation  of  my  own  as  an  artist." 

"  Why  not  study  theology  and  become  a  preacher?  " 
sneered  Ryder.  Then,  more  amiably,  he  said :  "  No, 
my  lad,  you  stay  here.  Study  my  interests — study  the 
interests  that  will  be  yours  some  day." 

"No,"  said  Jefferson  doggedly,  "I'd  rather  go— 
my  work  and  my  self-respect  demand  it." 

"  Then  go,  damn  it,  go ! "  cried  his  father  in  a 
burst  of  anger.  "  I'm  a  fool  for  wasting  my  time 
with  an  ungrateful  son."  He  rose  from  his  seat  and 
began  to  pace  the  room. 

"  Father,"  exclaimed  Jefferson  starting  forward, 
"  you  do  me  an  injustice." 

"An  injustice?"  echoed  Mr.  Ryder  turning  round. 
"  Ye  gods !  I've  given  you  the  biggest  name  in  the 
commercial  world;  the  most  colossal  fortune  ever  ac 
cumulated  by  one  man  is  waiting  for  you,  and  you 
say  I've  done  you  an  injustice !  " 

«  Yes— we  are  rich,"  said  Jefferson  bitterly.    "  But 

212 


THE   MOUSE 

at  what  a  cost!  You  do  not  go  into  the  world  and 
hear  the  sneers  that  I  get  everywhere.  You  may 
succeed  in  muzzling  the  newspapers  and  magazines, 
but  you  cannot  silence  public  opinion.  People  laugh 
when  they  hear  the  name  Ryder — when  they  do  not 
weep.  All  your  millions  cannot  purchase  the  world's 
respect.  You  try  to  throw  millions  to  the  public  as 
a  bone  to  a  dog,  and  they  decline  the  money  on  the 
ground  that  it  is  tainted.  Doesn't  that  tell  you  what 
the  world  thinks  of  your  methods  ?  " 

Ryder  laughed  cynically.  He  went  back  to  his  desk, 
and,  sitting  facing  his  son,  he  replied: 

"  Jefferson,  you  are  young.  It  is  one  of  the  symp 
toms  of  youth  to  worry  about  public  opinion.  When 
you  are  as  old  as  I  am  you  will  understand  that  there 
is  only  one  thing  which  counts  in  this  world — money. 
The  man  who  has  it  possesses  power  over  the  man 
who  has  it  not,  and  power  is  what  the  ambitious  man 
loves  most." 

He  stopped  to  pick  up  a  book.  It  was  "  The  Ameri 
can  Octopus."  Turning  again  to  his  son,  he  went  on : 

"  Do  you  see  this  book  ?  It  is  the  literary  sensation 
of  the  year.  Why?  Because  it  attacks  me — the  rich 
est  man  in  the  world.  It  holds  me  up  as  a  monster,  a 
tyrant,  a  man  without  soul,  honour  or  conscience,  car 
ing  only  for  one  thing — money;  having  but  one  pas- 

213 


THE   LION  & 

sion — the  love  of  power,  and  halting  at  nothing,  not 
even  at  crime,  to  secure  it.  That  is  the  portrait  they 
draw  of  your  father." 

Jefferson  said  nothing.  He  was  wondering  if  his 
sire  had  a  suspicion  who  wrote  it  and  was  leading 
up  to  that.  But  Ryder,  Sr.,  continued : 

"  Do  I  care  ?  The  more  they  attack  me  the  more 
I  like  it.  Their  puny  pen  pricks  have  about  the  same 
effect  as  mosquito  bites  on  the  pachyderm.  What  I 
am,  the  conditions  of  my  time  made  me.  When  I 
started  in  business  a  humble  clerk,  forty  years  ago,  I 
had  but  one  goal — success ;  I  had  but  one  aim — to  get 
rich.  I  was  lucky.  I  made  a  little  money,  and  I  soon 
discovered  that  I  could  make  more  money  by  out 
witting  my  competitors  in  the  oil  fields.  Railroad  con 
ditions  helped  me.  The  whole  country  was  money 
mad.  A  wave  of  commercial  prosperity  swept  over 
the  land  and  I  was  carried  along  on  its  crest.  I  grew 
enormously  rich,  my  millions  increasing  by  leaps  and 
bounds.  I  branched  out  into  other  interests,  success 
ful  always,  until  my  holdings  grew  to  what  they  are 
to-day — the  wonder  of  the  twentieth  century.  What 
do  I  care  for  the  world's  respect  when  my  money 
makes  the  world  my  slave?  What  respect  can  I  have 
for  a  people  that  cringe  before  money  and  let  it 
rule  them?  Are  you  aware  that  not  a  factory  wheel 

214 


THE   MOUSE 

turns,  not  a  vote  is  counted,  not  a  judge  is  appointed, 
not  a  legislator  seated,  not  a  president  elected  without 
my  consent?  I  am  the  real  ruler  of  the  United  States 
— not  the  so-called  government  at  Washington.  They 
are  my  puppets  and  this  is  my  executive  chamber. 
This  power  will  be  yours  one  day,  boy,  but  you  must 
know  how  to  use  it  when  it  comes." 

"  I  never  want  it,  father,"  said  Jefferson  firmly. 
"  To  me  your  words  savour  of  treason.  I  couldn't 
imagine  that  American  talking  that  way."  He  pointed 
to  the  mantel,  at  the  picture  of  George  Washington. 

Ryder,  Sr.,  laughed.  He  could  not  help  it  if  his 
son  was  an  idealist.  There  was  no  use  getting  angry, 
so  he  merely  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  said: 

"  All  right,  Jeff.  We'll  discuss  the  matter  later,  when 
you've  cut  your  wisdom  teeth.  Just  at  present  you're 
in  the  clouds.  But  you  spoke  of  my  doing  you  an 
injustice.  How  can  my  love  of  power  do  you  an  in 
justice?  " 

"  Because,"  replied  Jefferson,  "  you  exert  that  power 
over  your  family  as  well  as  over  your  business  asso 
ciates.  You  think  and  will  for  everybody  in  the  house, 
for  everyone  who  comes  in  contact  with  you.  Yours 
is  an  influence  no  one  seems  able  to  resist.  You  robbed 
me  of  my  right  to  think.  Ever  since  I  was  old  enough 
to  think,  you  have  thought  for  me;  ever  since  I  was 

215 


THE    LION  & 

old  enough  to  choose,  you  have  chosen  for  me.  You 
have  chosen  that  I  should  marry  Kate  Roberts.  That 
is  the  one  thing  I  wished  to  speak  to  you  about.  The 
marriage  is  impossible." 

Ryder,  Sr.,  half  sprang  from  his  seat.  He  had  lis 
tened  patiently,  he  thought,  to  all  that  his  headstrong 
son  had  said,  but  that  he  should  repudiate  in  this  un 
ceremonious  fashion  what  was  a  tacit  understanding 
between  the  two  families,  and,  what  was  more,  run 
the  risk  of  injuring  the  Ryder  interests— that  was  in 
conceivable.  Leaving  his  desk,  he  advanced  into  the 
centre  of  the  room,  and  folding  his  arms  confronted 
Jefferson. 

''  So,"  he  said  sternly,  "  this  is  your  latest  act  of 
rebellion,  is  it?  You  are  going  to  welsh  on  your 
word?  You  are  going  to  jilt  the  girl?  " 

"  I  never  gave  my  word,"  answered  Jefferson  hotly. 
"Nor  did  Kate  understand  that  an  engagement  ex 
isted.  You  can't  expect  me  to  marry  a  girl  I  don't 
care  a  straw  about.  It  would  not  be  fair  to  her." 

"  Have  you  stopped  to  think  whether  it  would  be 
fair  to  me  ?  "  thundered  his  father. 

His  face  was  pale  with  anger,  his  jet-black  eyes 
flashed,  and  his  white  hair  seemed  to  bristle  with  rage. 
He  paced  the  floor  for  a  few  moments,  and  then  turn- 

216 


THE  MOUSE 

ing  to  Jefferson,  who  had  not  moved,  he  said  more 
calmly : 

"  Don't  be  a  fool,  Jeff.  I  don't  want  to  think  for 
you,  or  to  choose  for  you,  or  to  marry  for  you.  I 
did  not  interfere  when  you  threw  up  the  position  I 
made  for  you  in  the  Trading  Company  and  took  that 
studio.  I  realized  that  you  were  restless  under  the 
harness,  so  I  gave  you  plenty  of  rein.  But  I  know 
so  much  better  than  you  what  is  best  for  you.  Believe 
me  I  do.  Don't — don't  be  obstinate.  This  marriage 
means  a  great  deal  to  my  interests — to  your  interests. 
Kate's  father  is  all  powerful  in  the  Senate.  He'll  never 
forgive  this  disappointment.  Hang  it  all,  you  liked 
the  girl  once,  and  I  made  sure  that " 

He  stopped  suddenly,  and  the  expression  on  his 
face  changed  as  a  new  light  dawned  upon  him. 

"It  isn't  that  Rossmore  girl,  is  it?"  he  demanded. 
His  face  grew  dark  and  his  jaw  clicked  as  he  said 
between  his  teeth :  "  I  told  you  some  time  ago  how 
I  felt  about  her.  If  I  thought  that  it  was  Rossmore's 
daughter !  You  know  what's  going  to  happen  to  him, 
don't  you  ?  " 

Thus  appealed  to,  Jefferson  thought  this  was  the 
most  favourable  opportunity  he  would  have  to  redeem 
his  promise  to  Shirley.  So,  little  anticipating  the  tem 
pest  he  was  about  to  unchain,  he  answered : 

217 


THE   LION  & 

"I  am  familiar  with  the  charges  that  they  have 
trumped  up  against  him.  Needless  to  say,  I  consider 
him  entirely  innocent.  What's  more,  I  firmly  believe 
he  is  the  victim  of  a  contemptible  conspiracy.  And 
I'm  going  to  make  it  my  business  to  find  out  who  the 
plotters  are.  I  came  to  ask  you  to  help  me.  Will 
you?" 

For  a  moment  Ryder  was  speechless  from  utter 
astonishment.  Then,  as  he  realized  the  significance  of 
his  son's  words  and  their  application  to  himself  he  com 
pletely  lost  control  of  himself.  His  face  became  livid, 
and  he  brought  his  fist  down  on  his  desk  with  a  force 
that  shook  the  room. 

"  I  will  see  him  in  hell  first !  "  he  cried.  "  Damn 
him!  He  has  always  opposed  me.  He  has  always 
defied  my  power,  and  now  his  daughter  has  entrapped 
my  son.  So  it's  her  you  want  to  go  to,  eh?  Well,  I 
can't  make  you  marry  a  girl  you  don't  want,  but 
I  can  prevent  you  throwing  yourself  away  on  the 
daughter  of  a  man  who  is  about  to  be  publicly  dis 
graced,  and,  by  God,  I  will." 

"  Poor  old  Rossmore,"  said  Jefferson  bitterly.  "  If 
the  history  of  every  financial  transaction  were  made 
known,  how  many  of  us  would  escape  public  disgrace  ? 
Would  you  ?  "  he  cried. 

Ryder,  Sr.,  rose,  his  hands  working  dangerously. 
218 


THE    MOUSE 

He  made  a  movement  as  if  about  to  advance  on  his 
son,  but  by  a  supreme  effort  he  controlled  himself. 

"  No,  upon  my  word,  it's  no  use  disinheriting  you, 
you  wouldn't  care.  I  think  you'd  be  glad ;  on  my  soul, 
I  do !  "  Then  calming  down  once  more,  he  added : 
"  Jefferson,  give  me  your  word  of  honour  that  your 
object  in  going  away  is  not  to  find  out  this  girl  and 
marry  her  unknown  to  me.  I  don't  mind  your  losing 
your  heart,  but,  damn  it,  don't  lose  your  head.  Give 
me  your  hand  on  it." 

Jefferson  reluctantly  held  out  his  hand. 

"  If  I  thought  you  would  marry  that  girl  unknown 
to  me,  I'd  have  Rossmore  sent  out  of  the  country  and 
the  woman  too.  Listen,  boy.  This  man  is  my  enemy, 
and  I  show  no  mercy  to  my  enemies.  There  are  more 
reasons  than  one  why  you  cannot  marry  Miss  Ross- 
more.  If  she  knew  one  of  them  she  would  not  marry 
you." 

"  What  reasons  ?  "  demanded  Jefferson. 

"  The  principal  one,"  said  Ryder,  slowly  and  de 
liberately,  and  eyeing  his  son  keenly  as  if  to  judge  of 
the  effect  of  his  words,  "  the  principal  one  is  that  it 
was  through  my  agents  that  the  demand  was  made 
for  her  father's  impeachment." 

"Ah,"  cried  Jefferson,  "then  I  guessed  aright! 
219 


THE    LION  & 

Oh,  father,  how  could  you  have  done  that?     If  you 
only  knew  him !  " 

Ryder,  Sr.,  had  regained  command  of  his  temper, 
and  now  spoke  calmly  enough. 

"  Jefferson,  I  don't  have  to  make  any  apologies  to 
you  for  the  way  I  conduct  my  business.  The  facts 
contained  in  the  charge  were  brought  to  my  attention. 
I  did  not  see  why  I  should  spare  him.  He  never 
spared  me.  I  shall  not  interfere,  and  the  probabilities 
are  that  he  will  be  impeached.  Senator  Roberts  said 
this  afternoon  that  it  was  a  certainty.  You  see  your 
self  how  impossible  a  marriage  with  Miss  Rossmore 
would  be,  don't  you  ?  " 

"Yes,  father,  I  see  now.  I  have  nothing  more  to 
say/' 

"  Do  you  still  intend  going  away?  " 

"  Yes/'  replied  Jefferson  bitterly.  "  Why  not  ?  You 
have  taken  away  the  only  reason  why  I  should  stay." 

:'  Think  it  well  over,  lad.  Marry  Kate  or  not,  as 
you  please,  but  I  want  you  to  stay  here." 

"  It's  no  use.  My  mind  is  made  up,"  answered  Jef 
ferson  decisively. 

The  telephone  rang,  and  Jefferson  got  up  to  go. 
Mr.  Ryder  took  up  the  receiver. 

"Hallo!  What's  that?  Sergeant  Ellison?  Yes, 
send  him  up." 

220 


THE   MOUSE 

Putting  the  telephone  down,  Ryder,  Sr.,  rose,  and 
crossing  the  room  accompanied  his  son  to  the  door. 

"  Think  it  well  over,  Jeff.     Don't  be  hasty." 

"  I  have  thought  it  over,  sir,  and  I  have  decided  to 
go." 

A  few  moments  later  Jefferson  left  the  house. 

Ryder,  Sr.,  went  back  to  his  desk  and  sat  for  a 
moment  in  deep  thought.  For  the  first  time  in  his  life 
he  was  face  to  face  with  defeat;  for  the  first  time  he 
had  encountered  a  will  as  strong  as  his  own.  He  who 
could  rule  parliaments  and  dictate  to  governments 
now  found  himself  powerless  to  rule  his  own  son.  At 
all  costs,  he  mused,  the  boy's  infatuation  for  Judge 
Rossmore's  daughter  must  be  checked,  even  if  he  had 
to  blacken  the  girl's  character  as  well  as  the  father's, 
or,  as  a  last  resort,  send  the  entire  family  out  of  the 
country.  He  had  not  lost  sight  of  his  victim  since 
the  carefully  prepared  crash  in  Wall  Street,  and  the 
sale  of  the  Rossmore  home  following  the  bankruptcy 
of  the  Great  Northwestern  Mining  Company.  His 
agents  had  reported  their  settlement  in  the  quiet  little 
village  on  Long  Island,  and  he  had  also  learned  of 
Miss  Rossmore's  arrival  from  Europe,  which  coincided 
strangely  with  the  home-coming  of  his  own  son.  He 
decided,  therefore,  to  keep  a  closer  watch  on  Massa- 
pequa  now  than  ever,  and  that  is  why  to-day's  call  of 

221 


THE   LION  & 

Sergeant  Ellison,  a  noted  sleuth  in  the  government  ser 
vice,  found  so  ready  a  welcome. 

The  door  opened,  and  Mr.  Bagley  entered,  followed 
by  a  tall,  powerfully  built  man  whose  robust  physique 
and  cheap  looking  clothes  contrasted  strangely  with 
the  delicate,  ultra-fashionably  attired  English  secretary. 

''  Take  a  seat,  Sergeant,"  said  Mr.  Ryder,  cordially 
motioning  his  visitor  to  a  chair.  The  man  sat  down 
gingerly  on  one  of  the  rich  leather-upholstered  chairs. 
His  manner  was  nervous  and  awkward,  as  if  intimi 
dated  in  the  presence  of  the  financier. 

"Are  the  Republican  Committee  still  waiting?" 
demanded  Mr.  Ryder. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  secretary. 

"  I'll  see  them  in  a  few  minutes.  Leave  me  with 
Sergeant  Ellison." 

Mr.  Bagley  bowed  and  retired. 

"Well,  Sergeant,  what  have  you  got  to  report?" 

He  opened  a  box  of  cigars  that  stood  on  the  desk 
and  held  it  out  to  the  detective. 

''  Take  a  cigar,"  he  said  amiably. 

The  man  took  a  cigar,  and  also  the  match  which 
Mr.  Ryder  held  out.  The  financier  knew  how  to  be 
cordial  with  those  who  could  serve  him. 

'  Thanks.     This  is  a  good  one,"  smiled  the  sleuth, 

222 


THE   MOUSE 

sniffing  at  the  weed.  "  We  don't  often  get  a  chance 
at  such  as  these." 

"  It  ought  to  be  good,"  laughed  Ryder.  "  They  cost 
two  dollars  apiece." 

The  detective  was  so  surprised  at  this  unheard  of 
extravagance  that  he  inhaled  a  puff  of  smoke  which 
almost  choked  him.  It  was  like  burning  money. 

Ryder,  with  his  customary  bluntness,  came  right 
down  to  business. 

"  Well,  what  have  you  been  doing  about  the  book  ?  " 
he  demanded.  "  Have  you  found  the  author  of  '  The 
American  Octopus  '  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,  I  have  not.  I  confess  I'm  baffled.  The 
secret  has  been  well  kept.  The  publishers  have  shut 
up  like  a  clam.  There's  only  one  thing  that  I'm  pretty 
well  sure  of." 

"  What's  that  ?  "  demanded  Ryder,  interested. 

'  That  no  such  person  as  Shirley  Green  exists." 

"Oh,"  exclaimed  f.ie  financier,  "then  you  think  it 
is  a  mere  nom  de  plume?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  And  what  do  you  think  was  the  reason  for  pre 
serving  the  anonymity  ?  " 

"  Well,  you  see,  sir,  the  book  deals  with  a  big  sub 
ject.  It  gives  some  liard  knocks,  and  the  author,  no 

223 


THE    LION  & 

doubt,  felt  a  little  timid  about  launching  it  under  his 
or  her  real  name.  At  least  that's  my  theory,  sir." 

"  And  a  good  one,  no  doubt,"  said  Mr.  Ryder.  Then 
he  added :  "  That  makes  me  all  the  more  anxious  to 
find  out  who  it  is.  I  would  willingly  give  this  mo 
ment  a  check  for  $5,000  to  know  who  wrote  it.  Who 
ever  it  is,  knows  me  as  well  as  I  know  myself.  We 
must  find  the  author." 

The  sleuth  was  silent  for  a  moment.    Then  he  said: 

"  There  might  be  one  way  to  reach  the  author,  but 
it  will  be  successful  only  in  the  event  of  her  being 
willing  to  be  known  and  come  out  into  the  open.  Sup 
pose  you  write  to  her  in  care  of  the  publishers.  They 
would  certainly  forward  the  letter  to  wherever  she 
may  be.  If  she  does  not  want  you  to  know  who  she 
is  she  will  ignore  your  letter  and  remain  in  the  back 
ground.  If,  on  the  contrary,  she  has  no  fear  of  you, 
and  is  willing  to  meet  you,  she  will  answer  the  letter." 

"  Ah,  I  never  thought  of  that !  "  exclaimed  Ryder. 
"  It's  a  good  idea.  I'll  write  such  a  letter  at  once.  It 
shall  go  to-night." 

He  unhooked  the  telephone  and  asked  Mr.  Bagley 
to  come  up.  A  few  seconds  later  the  secretary  entered 
the  room. 

"  Bagley,"  said  Mr.  Ryder,  "  I  want  you  to  write  a 
letter  for  me  to  Miss  Shirley  Green,  author  of  that 

224 


THE    MOUSE 

book  '  The  American  Octopus/  We  will  address  it 
care  of  her  publishers,  Littleton  &  Co.  Just  say  that 
if  convenient  I  should  like  a  personal  interview  with 
her  at  my  office,  No.  36  Broadway,  in  relation  to  her 
book,  '  The  American  Octopus.'  See  that  it  is  mailed 
to-night.  That's  all." 

Mr.  Bagley  bowed  and  retired.  Mr.  Ryder  turned 
to  the  secret  service  agent. 

"  There,  that's  settled.  We'll  see  how  it  works.  And 
now,  Sergeant,  I  have  another  job  for  you,  and  if  you 
are  faithful  to  my  interests  you  will  not  find  me  un- 
appreciative.  Do  you  know  a  little  place  on  Long 
Island  called  Massapequa?" 

"  Yes,"  grinned  the  detective,  "  I  know  it.  They've 
got  some  fine  specimens  of  '  skeeters  '  there." 

Paying  no  attention  to  this  jocularity,  Mr.  Ryder 
continued : 

"  Judge  Rossmore  is  living  there — pending  the  out 
come  of  his  case  in  the  Senate.  His  daughter  has 
just  arrived  from  Europe.  My  son  Jefferson  came 
home  on  the  same  ship.  They  are  a  little  more  friendly 
than  I  care  to  have  them.  You  understand.  I  want 
to  know  if  my  son  visits  the  Rossmores,  and  if  he  does 
I  wish  to  be  kept  informed  of  all  that's  going  on.  You 
understand  ?  " 

"  Perfectly,  sir.    You  shall  know  everything." 
225 


THE    LION  & 

Mr.  Ryder  took  a  blank  check  from  his  desk  and 
proceeded  to  fill  it  up.  Then  handing  it  to  the  detec 
tive,  he  said : 

"  Here  is  $500  for  you.  Spare  neither  trouble  or 
expense." 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  said  the  man  as  he  pocketed  the 
money.  "  Leave  it  to  me." 

"That's  about  all,  I  think.  Regarding  the  other 
matter,  we'll  see  how  the  letter  works." 

He  touched  a  bell  and  rose,  which  was  a  signal  to 
the  visitor  that  the  interview  was  at  an  end.  Mr. 
Bagley  entered. 

"Sergeant  Ellison  is  going,"  said  Mr.  Ryder. 
"  Have  him  shown  out,  and  send  the  Republican  Com 
mittee  up." 


226 


THE   MOUSE 


CHAPTER  X 

WHAT ! "  exclaimed  Shirley,  changing  colour, 
"you  believe  that  John  Burkett  Ryder  is 
at  the  bottom  of  this  infamous  accusation 
against  father  ?  " 

It  was  the  day  following  her  arrival  at  Massapequa, 
and  Shirley,  the  judge  and  Stott  were  all  three  sitting 
on  the  porch.  Until  now,  by  common  consent,  any 
mention  of  the  impeachment  proceedings  had  been 
avoided  by  everyone.  The  previous  afternoon  and 
evening  had  been  spent  listening  to  an  account  of 
Shirley's  experiences  in  Europe  and  a  smile  had  flitted 
across  even  the  judge's  careworn  face  as  his  daughter 
gave  a  humorous  description  of  the  picturesque  Paris 
student  with  their  long  hair  and  peg-top  trousers, 
while  Stott  simply  roared  with  laughter.  Ah,  it  was 
good  to  laugh  again  after  so  much  trouble  and  anx 
iety!  But  while  Shirley  avoided  the  topic  that  lay 
nearest  her  heart,  she  was  consumed  with  a  desire  to 
tell  her  father  of  the  hope  she  had  of  enlisting  the 
aid  of  John  Burkett  Ryder.  The  great  financier  was 
certainly  able  to  do  anything  he  chose,  and  had  not 

227 


THE    LION   Gr 

his  son  Jefferson  promised  to  win  him  over  to  their 
cause  ?  So,  to-day,  after  Mrs.  Rossmore  and  her  sister 
had  gone  down  to  the  village  to  make  some  purchases 
Shirley  timidly  broached  the  matter.  She  asked  Stott 
and  her  father  to  tell  her  everything,  to  hold  back 
nothing.  She  wanted  to  hear  the  worst. 

Stott,  therefore,  started  to  review  the  whole  affair 
from  the  beginning,  explaining  how  her  father  in  his 
capacity  as  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  had  to  render 
decisions,  several  of  which  were  adverse  to  the  cor 
porate  interests  of  a  number  of  rich  men,  and  how 
since  that  time  these  powerful  interests  had  used  all 
their  influence  to  get  him  put  off  the  Bench.  He  told 
her  about  the  Transcontinental  case  and  how  the  judge 
had  got  mysteriously  tangled  up  in  the  Great  Northern 
Mining  Company,  and  of  the  scandalous  newspaper 
rumours,  followed  by  the  news  of  the  Congressional 
inquiry.  Then  he  told  her  about  the  panic  in  Wall 
Street,  the  sale  of  the  house  on  Madison  Avenue  and 
the  removal  to  Long  Island. 

"  That  is  the  situation,"  said  Stott  when  he  had  fin 
ished.  "  We  are  waiting  now  to  see  what  the  Senate 
will  do.  We  hope  for  the  best.  It  stems  impossible 
that  the  Senate  will  condemn  a  man  whose  whole  life 
is  like  an  open  book,  but  unfortunately  the  Senate  is 
.jgly  Republican  and  the  big  interests  are  in  com- 
228 


THE   MOUSE 

plete  control.    Unless  support  comes  from  some  unex 
pected  quarter  we  must  be  prepared  for  anything." 

Support  from  some  unexpected  quarter !  Stott  s 
closing  words  rang  in  Shirley's  head.  Was  that  not 
just  what  she  had  to  offer?  Unable  to  restrain  herself 
longer  and  her  heart  beating  tumultuously  from  sup 
pressed  emotion,  she  cried: 

"  We'll  have  that  support !  We'll  have  it !  I've  got 
it  already!  I  wanted  to  surprise  you!  Father,  the 
most  powerful  man  in  the  United  States  will  save  you 
from  being  dishonoured !  " 

The  two  men  leaned  forward  in  eager  interest. 
What  could  the  girl  mean  ?  Was  she  serious  or  merely 
jesting? 

But  Shirley  was  never  more  serious  in  her  life.  She 
was  jubilant  at  the  thought  that  she  had  arrived  home 
in  time  to  invoke  the  aid  of  this  powerful  ally.  She 
repeated  enthusiastically : 

"  We  need  not  worn-  any  more.  He  has  but  to  say 
a  word  and  these  proceedings  will  be  instantly  dropped. 
They  would  not  dare  act  against  his  veto.  Did  you 
hear,  father,  your  case  is  as  good  as  won ! ' 

"  What  do  you  mean,  child?  WTio  is  this  unknown 
friend?" 

"  Surely  you  can  guess  when  I  say  the  most 

2  JO 


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111 


THE    LION   & 

they  plotted  in  the  dark.  Ryder  was  the  man  who  had 
most  to  lose  by  your  father's  honesty  on  the  bench. 
Ryder  was  the  man  he  hit  the  hardest  when  he  en 
joined  his  Transcontinental  Railroad.  Ryder,  I  am 
convinced,  is  the  chief  conspirator." 

"  But  can  such  things  be  in  a  civilized  community?  " 
cried  Shirley  indignantly.  "Cannot  he  be  exposed, 
won't  the  press  take  the  matter  up,  cannot  we  show 
conspiracy  ?  " 

"  It  sounds  easy,  but  it  isn't,"  replied  Stott.  "  I  have 
had  a  heap  of  experience  with  the  law,  my  child,  and 
I  know  what  I'm  talking  about.  They're  too  clever  to 
be  caught  tripping.  They've  covered  their  tracks  well, 
be  sure  of  that.  As  to  the  newspapers— when  did  you 
ever  hear  of  them  championing  a  man  when  he's 
down?" 

"  And  you,  father— do  you  believe  Ryder  did  this  ?  " 
"  I  have  no  longer  any  doubt  of  it,"  answered  the 
judge.  "  I  think  John  Ryder  would  see  me  dead  be 
fore  he  would  raise  a  finger  to  help  me.  His  answer 
to  my  demand  for  my  letters  convinced  me  that  he 
was  the  arch  plotter." 

"  What  letters  do  you  refer  to?  "  demanded  Shirley. 

"  The  letters  I  wrote  to  him  in  regard  to  my  making 

an  investment.     He  advised  the  purchase  of  certain 

stock.    I  wrote  him  two  letters  at  the  time,  which  let- 

232 


THE    MOUSE 

ters  if  I  had  them  now  would  go  a  long  way  to  clear 
ing  me  of  this  charge  of  bribery,  for  they  plainly 
showed  that  I  regarded  the  transaction  as  a  bona  fide 
investment.  Since  this  trouble  began  I  wrote  to  Ryder 
asking  him  to  return  me  these  letters  so  I  might  use 
them  in  my  defence.  The  only  reply  I  got  was  an 
insolent  note  from  his  secretary  saying  that  Mr.  Ryder 
had  forgotten  all  about  the  transaction,  and  in  any  case 
had  not  the  letters  I  referred  to." 

"  Couldn't  you  compel  him  to  return  them  ?  "  asked 
Shirley. 

"  We  could  never  get  at  him,"  interrupted  Stott. 
"  The  man  is  guarded  as  carefully  as  the  Czar." 

"  Still,"  objected  Shirley,  "  it  is  possible  that  he  may 
have  lost  the  letters  or  even  never  received  them." 

"  Oh,  he  has  them  safe  enough,"  replied  Stott.  "  A 
man  like  Ryder  keeps  every  scrap  of  paper,  with  the 
idea  that  it  may  prove  useful  some  day.  The  letters 
are  lying  somewhere  in  his  desk.  Besides,  after  the 
Transcontinental  decision  he  was  heard  to  say  that 
he'd  have  Judge  Rossmore  off  the  Bench  inside  of  a 
year." 

"  And  it  wasn't  a  vain  boast — he's  done  it,"  mut 
tered  the  judge. 

Shirley  relapsed  into  silence.  Her  brain  was  in  a 
whirl.  It  was  true  then.  This  merciless  man  of 

233 


THE   LION  & 

money,  this  ogre  of  monopolistic  corporations,  this 
human  juggernaut  had  crushed  her  father  merely  be 
cause  by  his  honesty  he  interfered  with  his  shady  busi 
ness  deals !  Ah,  why  had  she  spared  him  in  her  book? 
She  felt  now  that  she  had  been  too  lenient,  not  bitter 
enough,  not  sufficiently  pitiless.  Such  a  man  was  en 
titled  to  no  mercy.  Yes,  it  was  all  clear  enough  now. 
John  Burkett  Ryder,  the  head  of  "  the  System,"  the 
plutocrat  whose  fabulous  fortune  gave  him  absolute 
control  over  the  entire  country,  which  invested  him 
with  a  personal  power  greater  than  that  of  any  king, 
this  was  the  man  who  now  dared  attack  the  Judiciary, 
the  corner  stone  of  the  Constitution,  the  one  safe 
guard  of  the  people's  liberty.  Where  wrould  it  end? 
How  long  would  the  nation  tolerate  being  thus  ruth 
lessly  trodden  under  the  unclean  heels  of  an  insolent 
oligarchy?  The  capitalists,  banded  together  for  the 
sole  purpose  of  pillage  and  loot,  had  already  succeeded 
in  enslaving  the  toiler.  The  appalling  degradation  of 
the  working  classes,  the  sordidness  and  demoralizing 
squalor  in  which  they  passed  their  lives,  the  curse  of 
drink,  the  provocation  to  crime,  the  shame  of  the 
sweat  shops — all  which  evils  in  our  social  system  she 
had  seen  as  a  Settlement  worker,  were  directly  trace 
able  to  Centralized  Wealth.  The  labor  unions  regu 
lated  wages  and  hours,  but  they  were  powerless  to 

234 


THE   MOUSE 

control  the  prices  of  the  necessaries  of  life.  The 
Trusts  could  at  pleasure  create  famine  or  plenty.  They 
usually  willed  to  make  it  famine  so  they  themselves 
might  acquire  more  millions  with  which  to  pay  for 
marble  palaces,  fast  motor  cars,  ocean-going  yachts 
and  expensive  establishments  at  Newport.  Food  was 
ever  dearer  and  of  poorer  quality,  clothes  cost  more, 
rents  and  taxes  were  higher.  She  thought  of  the  hor 
rors  in  the  packing  houses  at  Chicago  recently  made 
the  subject  of  a  sensational  government  report — pu 
trid,  pestiferous  meats  put  up  for  human  food  amid 
conditions  of  unspeakable  foulness,  freely  exposed  to 
deadly  germs  from  the  expectorations  of  work  people 
suffering  from  tuberculosis,  in  unsanitary  rotten  build 
ings  soaked  through  with  blood  and  every  conceivable 
form  of  filth  and  decay,  the  beef  barons  careless  and 
indifferent  to  the  dictates  of  common  decency  so  long 
as  they  could  make  more  money.  And  while  our  pub 
lic  gasped  in  disgust  at  the  sickening  revelations  of 
the  Beef  scandal  and  foreign  countries  quickly  can 
celled  their  contracts  for  American  prepared  meats, 
the  millionaire  packer,  insolent  in  the  possession  of 
wealth  stolen  from  a  poisoned  public,  impudently  ap 
peared  in  public  in  his  fashionable  touring  car,  with 
head  erect  and  self-satisfied,  wholly  indifferent  to  his 
shame. 

235 


THE    LION  & 

These  and  other  evidences  of  the  plutocracy's  cruel 
grip  upon  the  nation  had  ended  by  exasperating  the 
people.  There  must  be  a  limit  somewhere  to  the  tur 
pitudes  of  a  degenerate  class  of  nouveaux  riches.  The 
day  of  reckoning  was  fast  approaching  for  the  grafters 
and  among  the  first  to  taste  the  vengeance  of  the  peo 
ple  would  be  the  Colossus.  But  while  waiting  for  the 
people  to  rise  in  their  righteous  wrath,  Ryder  was 
all  powerful,  and  if  it  were  true  that  he  had  instituted 
these  impeachment  proceedings  her  father  had  little 
chance.  What  could  be  done?  They  could  not  sit 
and  wait,  as  Stott  had  said,  for  the  action  of  the  Sen 
ate.  If  it  were  true  that  Ryder  controlled  the  Senate 
as  he  controlled  everything  else  her  father  was 
doomed.  No,  they  must  find  some  other  way. 

And  long  after  the  judge  and  Stott  had  left  for  the 
city  Shirley  sat  alone  on  the  porch  engrossed  in 
thought,  taxing  her  brain  to  find  some  way  out  of  the 
darkness.  And  when  presently  her  mother  and  aunt 
returned  they  found  her  still  sitting  there,  silent  and 
preoccupied.  If  they  only  had  those  two  letters,  she 
thought.  They  alone  might  save  her  father.  But  how 
could  they  be  got  at?  Mr.  Ryder  had  put  them  safely 
away,  no  doubt.  He  would  not  give  them  up.  She 
wondered  how  it  would  be  to  go  boldly  to  him  and 
appeal  to  whatever  sense  of  honour  and  fairness  that 

236 


THE   MOUSE 

might  be  lying  latent  within  him.  No,  such  a  man 
would  not  know  what  the  terms  "  honour,"  "  fairness  " 
meant.  She  pondered  upon  it  all  day  and  at  night 
when  she  went  tired  to  bed  it  was  her  last  thought  as 
she  dropped  off  to  sleep. 

The  following  morning  broke  clear  and  fine.  It  was 
one  of  those  glorious,  ideal  days  of  which  we  get  per 
haps  half  a  dozen  during  the  whole  summer,  days  when 
the  air  is  cool  and  bracing,  champagne-like  in  its  ex 
hilarating  effect,  and  when  Nature  dons  her  brightest 
dress,  when  the  atmosphere  is  purer,  the  grass  greener, 
the  sky  bluer,  the  flowers  sweeter  and  the  birds  sing  in 
more  joyous  chorus,  when  all  creation  seems  in  tune. 
Days  that  make  living  worth  while,  when  one  can 
forget  the  ugliness,  the  selfishness,  the  empty  glitter  of 
the  man-made  city  and  walk  erect  and  buoyant  in  the 
open  country  as  in  the  garden  of  God. 

Shirley  went  out  for  a  long  walk.  She  preferred  to 
go  alone  so  she  would  not  have  to  talk.  Hers  was 
one  of  those  lonely,  introspective  natures  that  resent 
the  intrusion  of  aimless  chatter  when  preoccupied  with 
serious  thoughts.  Long  Island  was  unknown  territory 
to  her  and  it  all  looked  very  flat  and  uninteresting,  but 
she  loved  the  country  and  found  keen  delight  in  the 
fresh,  pure  air  and  the  sweet  scent  of  new  mown  hay 
wafted  from  the  surrounding  fields.  In  her  soft,  loose- 

237 


THE   LION  & 

fitting  linen  dress,  her  white  canvas  shoes,  garden  hat 
trimmed  with  red  roses,  and  lace  parasol,  she  made 
an  attractive  picture  and  every  passer-by — with  the 
exception  of  one  old  farmer  and  he  was  half  blind — 
turned  to  look  at  this  good-looking  girl,  a  stranger 
in  those  parts  and  whose  stylish  appearance  suggested 
Fifth  Avenue  rather  than  the  commonplace  purlieus 
of  Massapequa. 

Every  now  and  then  Shirley  espied  in  the  distance 
the  figure  of  a  man  which  she  thought  she  recognized 
as  that  of  Jefferson.  Had  he  come,  after  all?  The 
blood  went  coursing  tumultuously  through  her  veins 
only  a  moment  later  to  leave  her  face  a  shade  paler 
as  the  man  came  nearer  and  she  saw  he  was  a  stranger. 
She  wondered  what  he  was  doing,  if  he  gave  her  a 
thought,  if  he  had  spoken  to  his  father  and  what  the 
latter  had  said.  She  could  realize  now  what  Mr. 
Ryder's  reply  had  been.  Then  she  wondered  what  her 
future  life  would  be.  She  could  do  nothing,  of  course, 
until  the  Senate  had  passed  upon  her  father's  case,  but 
it  was  imperative  that  she  get  to  work.  In  a  day  or 
two,  she  would  call  on  her  publishers  and  learn  how 
her  book  was  selling.  She  might  get  other  commis 
sions.  If  she  could  not  make  enough  money  in  literary 
work  she  would  have  to  teach.  It  was  a  dreary  out 
look  at  best,  and  she  sighed  as  she  thought  of  the 

238 


THE   MOUSE 

ambitions  that  had  once  stirred  her  breast.  AH  the 
brightness  seemed  to  have  gone  out  of  her  life,  her 
father  disgraced,  Jefferson  now  practically  lost  to  her 
— only  her  work  remained. 

As  she  neared  the  cottage  on  her  return  home  she 
caught  sight  of  the  letter  carrier  approaching  the  gate. 
Instantly  she  thought  of  Jefferson,  and  she  hurried  to 
intercept  the  man.  Perhaps  he  had  written  instead  of 
coming. 

"Miss  Shirley  Rossmore?"  said  the  man  eyeing 
her  interrogatively. 

"  That's  I,"  said  Shirley. 

The  postman  handed  her  a  letter  and  passed  on. 
Shirley  glanced  quickly  at  the  superscription.  No,  it 
was  not  from  Jefferson ;  she  knew  his  handwriting  too 
well.  The  envelope,  moreover,  bore  the  firm  name  of 
her  publishers.  She  tore  it  open  and  found  that  it 
merely  contained  another  letter  which  the  publishers 
had  forwarded.  This  was  addressed  to  Miss  Shipley 
Green  and  ran  as  follows  : 

Dear  Madam. — If  convenient,  I  should  like  to  see  you  at  my 
office,  No.  36  Broadway,  in  relation  to  your  book  "The  American 
Octopus."  Kindly  inform  me  as  to  the  day  and  hour  at  which  I  may 
expect  you. 

Yonrs  truly, 

JOHN  BURKETT  RYDER, 

per  B. 

Shirley  almost  shouted  from  sheer  excitement.    At 
239 


THE   LION  & 

first  she  was  alarmed— the  name  John  Burkett  Ryder 
was  such  a  bogey  to  frighten  bad  children  with,  she 
thought  he  might  want  to  punish  her  for  writing  about 
him  as  she  had.    She  hurried  to  the  porch  and  sat  there 
reading  the  letter  over  and  over  and  her  brain  began 
to  evolve  ideas.      She  had  been  wondering  how  she 
could  get  at  Mr.  Ryder  and  here  he   was  actually 
asking  her  to  call  on  him.     Evidently  he  had  not  the 
slightest  idea  of  her  identity,  for  he  had  been  able  to 
reach  her  only  through  her  publishers  and  no  doubt 
he  had  exhausted  every  other  means  of  discovering 
her  address.    The  more  she  pondered  over  it  the  more 
she  began  to  see  in  this  invitation  a  way  of  helping 
her  father.    Yes,  she  would  go  and  beard  the  lion  in 
his  den,  but  she  would  not  go  to  his  office.    She  would 
accept  the  invitation  only  on  condition  that  the  inter 
view  took  place  in  the  Ryder  mansion  where  undoubt 
edly  the  letters  would  be  found.     She  decided  to  act 
immediately.    No  time  was  to  be  lost,  so  she  procured 
a  sheet  of  paper  and  an  envelope  and  wrote  as  follows : 
MR.  JOHN  BURKETT  RYDER, 

Dear  Sir.— I  do  not  call  upon  gentlemen  at  their  business  office. 

Yours,  etc., 

SHIRLEY  GREEN. 

Her  letter  was  abrupt  and  at  first  glance  seemed 
haretty  calculated  to  bring  about  what  she  wanted — an 

240 


THE  MOUSE 

invitation  to  call  at  the  Ryder  home,  but  she  was 
shrewd  enough  to  see  that  if  Ryder  wrote  to  her  at 
all  it  was  because  he  was  most  anxious  to  see  her  and 
her  abruptness  would  not  deter  him  from  trying  again. 
On  the  contrary,  the  very  unusualness  of  anyone  thus 
dictating  to  him  would  make  him  more  than  ever  de 
sirous  of  making  her  acquaintance.  So  Shirley  mailed 
the  letter  and  awaited  with  confidence  for  Ryder's  re 
ply.  So  certain  was  she  that  one  would  come  that  she 
at  once  began  to  form  her  plan  of  action.  She  would 
leave  Massapequa  at  once,  and  her  whereabouts  must 
remain  a  secret  even  from  her  own  family.  As  she 
intended  to  go  to  the  Ryder  house  in  the  assumed 
character  of  Shirley  Green,  it  would  never  do  to  run 
the  risk  of  being  followed  home  by  a  Ryder  detective 
to  the  Rossmore  cottage.  She  would  confide  in  one 
person  only — Judge  Stott.  He  would  know  where 
she  was  and  would  be  in  constant  communication  with 
her.  But,  otherwise,  she  must  be  alone  to  conduct  the 
campaign  as  she  judged  fit.  She  would  go  at  once 
to  New  York  and  take  rooms  in  a  boarding  house 
where  she  would  be  known  as  Shirley  Green.  As  for 
funds  to  meet  her  expenses,  she  had  her  diamonds,  and 
would  they  not  be  filling  a  more  useful  purpose  if  sold 
to  defray  the  cost  of  saving  her  father  than  in  mere 
personal  adornment?  So  that  evening,  while  her 

241 


THE   LION  & 

mother  was  talking  with  the  judge,  she  beckoned  Stott 
over  to  the  corner  where  she  was  sitting: 

"  Judge  Stott,"  she  began,  "  I  have  a  plan." 

He  smiled  indulgently  at  her. 

"  Another  friend  like  that  of  yesterday  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  No,"  replied  the  girl,  "  listen.  I  am  in  earnest 
now  and  I  want  you  to  help  me.  You  said  that  no 
one  on  earth  could  resist  John  Burkett  Ryder,  that  no 
one  could  fight  against  the  Money  Power.  Well,  do 
you  know  what  I  am  going  to  do  ?  " 

There  was  a  quiver  in  her  voice  and  her  nostrils 
were  dilated  like  those  of  a  thoroughbred  eager  to  run 
the  race.  She  had  risen  from  her  seat  and  stood  fac 
ing  him,  her  fists  clenched,  her  face  set  and  deter 
mined.  Stott  had  never  seen  her  in  this  mood  and  he 
gazed  at  her  half  admiringly,  half  curiously. 

"  What  will  you  do  ?  "  he  asked  with  a  slightly  iron 
ical  inflection  in  his  voice. 

"I  am  going  to  fight  John  Burkett  Ryder !  "  she 
cried. 

Stott  looked  at  her  open-mouthed. 

"You?  "he  said. 

"  Yes,  I,"  said  Shirley.  "  I'm  going  to  him  and  I 
intend  to  get  those  letters  if  he  has  them." 

Stott  shook  his  head. 

"  My  dear  child,"  he  said,  "  what  are  you  talking 
242 


THE    MOUSE 

about?  How  can  you  expect  to  reach  Ryder?  We 
couldn't." 

"  I  don't  know  just  how  yet,"  replied  Shirley,  "  but 
I'm  going  to  try.  I  love  my  father  and  I'm  going  to 
leave  nothing  untried  to  save  him." 

"But  what  can  you  do?"  persisted  Stott.  "The 
matter  has  been  sifted  over  and  over  by  some  of  the 
greatest  minds  in  the  country." 

"  Has  any  woman  sifted  it  over  ?  "  demanded  Shir- 
ley. 

"  No,  but—"  stammered  Stott. 

"  Then  it's  about  time  one  did,"  said  the  girl  deci 
sively.  "  Those  letters  my  father  speaks  of — they 
would  be  useful,  would  they  not  ?  " 

"  They  would  be  invaluable." 

"  Then  I'll  get  them.    If  not " 

"  But  I  don't  understand  how  you're  going  to  get 
at  Ryder,"  interrupted  Stott. 

"  This  is  how,"  replied  Shirley,  passing  over  to  him 
the  letter  she  had  received  that  afternoon. 

As  Stott  recognized  the  well-known  signature  and 
read  the  contents  the  expression  of  his  face  changed. 
He  gasped  for  breath  and  sank  into  a  chair  from  sheer 
astonishment. 

"  Ah,  that's  different!  "  he  cried,  "  that's  different!  " 

Briefly  Shirley  outlined  her  plan,  explaining  that 
243 


THE  LION  & 

she  would  go  to  live  in  the  city  immediately  and  con 
duct  her  campaign  from  there.  If  she  was  successful 
it  might  save  her  father  and  if  not  no  harm  could 
come  of  it. 

Stott  demurred  at  first.  He  did  not  wish  to  bear 
alone  the  responsibility  of  such  an  adventure.  There 
was  no  knowing  what  might  happen  to  her,  visiting  a 
strange  house  under  an  assumed  name.  But  when  he 
saw  how  thoroughly  in  earnest  she  was  and  that  she 
was  ready  to  proceed  without  him  he  capitulated.  He 
agreed  that  she  might  be  able  to  find  the  missing  let 
ters  or  if  not  that  she  might  make  some  impression  on 
Ryder  himself.  She  could  show  interest  in  the  judge's 
case  as  a  disinterested  outsider  and  so  might  win  his 
sympathies.  From  being  a  sceptic,  Stott  now  became 
enthusiastic.  He  promised  to  co-operate  in  every  way 
and  to  keep  Shirley's  whereabouts  an  absolute  secret. 
The  girl,  therefore,  began  to  make  her  preparations  for 
departure  from  home  by  telling  her  parents  that  she 
had  accepted  an  invitation  to  spend  a  week  or  two 
with  an  old  college  chum  in  New  York. 

That  same  evening  her  mother,  the  judge,  and  Stott 
went  for  a  stroll  after  dinner  and  left  her  to  take  care 
of  the  house.  They  had  wanted  Shirley  to  go,  too, 
but  she  pleaded  fatigue.  The  truth  was  that  she 
wanted  to  be  alone  so  she  could  ponder  undisturbed 

244 


THE  MOUSE 

over  her  plans.  It  was  a  clear,  starlit  night,  with 
no  moon,  and  Shirley  sat  on  the  porch  listening  to  the 
chirping  of  the  crickets  and  idly  watching  the  flashes 
of  the  mysterious  fireflies.  She  was  in  no  mood  for 
reading  and  sat  for  a  long  time  rocking  herself  en 
grossed  in  her  thoughts.  Suddenly  she  heard  someone 
unfasten  the  garden  gate.  It  was  too  soon  for  the  re 
turn  of  the  promenaders ;  it  must  be  a  visitor.  Through 
the  uncertain  penumbra  of  the  garden  she  discerned 
approaching  a  form  which  looked  familiar.  Yes,  now 
there  was  no  doubt  possible.  It  was,  indeed,  Jefferson 
Ryder. 

She  hurried  down  the  porch  to  greet  him.  No  mat 
ter  what  the  father  had  done  she  could  never  think 
any  the  less  of  the  son.  He  took  her  hand  and  for 
several  moments  neither  one  spoke.  There  are  times 
when  silence  is  more  eloquent  than  speech  and  this 
was  one  of  them.  The  gentle  grip  of  his  big  strong 
hand  expressed  more  tenderly  than  any  words  the 
sympathy  that  lay  in  his  heart  for  the  woman  he  loved. 
Shirley  said  quietly: 

"  You  have  come  at  last,  Jefferson." 

"  I  came  as  soon  as  I  could,"  he  replied  gently.  "  I 
saw  father  only  yesterday." 

"  You  need  not  tell  me  what  he  said,"  Shirley  has 
tened  to  say. 

245 


THE   LION  & 

Jefferson  made  no  reply.  He  understood  what  she 
meant.  He  hung  his  head  and  hit  viciously  with  his 
walking  stick  at  the  pebbles  that  lay  at  his  feet.  She 
went  on : 

"  I  know  everything  now.  It  was  foolish  of  me  to 
think  that  Mr.  Ryder  would  ever  help  us." 

"  I  can't  help  it  in  any  way,"  blurted  out  Jefferson. 
"  I  have  not  the  slightest  influence  over  him.  His  busi 
ness  methods  I  consider  disgraceful — you  understand 
that,  don't  you,  Shirley?" 

The  girl  laid  her  hand  on  his  arm  and  replied  kindly : 

"  Of  course,  Jeff,  we  know  that.  Come  up  and  sit 
down." 

He  followed  her  on  the  porch  and  drew  up  a  rocker 
beside  her. 

"  They  are  all  out  for  a  walk,"  she  explained. 

"  I'm  glad,"  he  said  frankly.  "  I  wanted  a  quiet 
talk  with  you.  I  did  not  care  to  meet  anyone.  My 
name  must  be  odious  to  your  people." 

Both  were  silent,  feeling  a  certain  awkwardness. 
They  seemed  to  have  drifted  apart  in  some  way  since 
those  delightful  days  in  Paris  and  on  the  ship.  Then 
he  said: 

"  I'm  going  away,  but  I  couldn't  go  until  I  saw 
you." 

246 


THE    MOUSE 

"You  are  going  away?"  exclaimed  Shirley,  sur 
prised. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  I  cannot  stand  it  any  more  at 
home.  I  had  a  hot  talk  with  my  father  yesterday  about 
one  thing  and  another.  He  and  I  don't  chin  well  to 
gether.  Besides  this  matter  of  your  father's  impeach 
ment  has  completely  discouraged  me.  All  the  wealth 
in  the  world  could  never  reconcile  me  to  such  meth 
ods  !  I'm  ashamed  of  the  role  my  own  flesh  and  blood 
has  played  in  that  miserable  affair.  I  can't  express 
what  I  feel  about  it." 

"  Yes,"  sighed  Shirley,  "  it  is  hard  to  believe  that 
you  are  the  son  of  that  man ! " 

"  How  is  your  father  ?  "  inquired  Jefferson.  "  How 
does  he  take  it?" 

"  Oh,  his  heart  beats  and  he  can  see  and  hear  and 
speak,"  replied  Shirley  sadly,  "  but  he  is  only  a  shadow 
of  what  he  once  was.  If  the  trial  goes  against  him, 
I  don't  think  he'll  survive  it." 

"  It  is  monstrous,"  cried  Jefferson.  "  To  think  that 
my  father  should  be  responsible  for  this  thing !  " 

"  We  are  still  hoping  for  the  best,"  added  Shirley, 
"  but  the  outlook  is  dark." 

"  But  what  are  you  going  to  do?"  he  asked.  "These 
surroundings  are  riot  for  you — "  He  looked  around 

347 


THE  LION  flf 

at  the  cheap  furnishings  which  he  could  see  through 
the  open  window  and  his  face  showed  real  concern. 

"  I  shall  teach  or  write,  or  go  out  as  governess," 
replied  Shirley  with  a  tinge  of  bitterness.  Then  smil 
ing  sadly  she  added :  "  Poverty  is  easy ;  it  is  unmerited 
disgrace  which  is  hard." 

The  young  man  drew  his  chair  closer  and  took  hold 
of  the  hand  that  lay  in  her  lap.  She  made  no  resist 
ance. 

"  Shirley,"  he  said,  "  do  you  remember  that  talk  we 
had  on  the  ship?  I  asked  you  to  be  my  wife.  You 
led  me  to  believe  that  you  were  not  indifferent  to  me. 
I  ask  you  again  to  marry  me.  Give  me  the  right  to 
take  care  of  you  and  yours.  I  am  the  son  of  the 
world's  richest  man,  but  I  don't  want  his  money.  I 
have  earned  a  competence  of  my  own — enough  to  live 
on  comfortably.  We  will  go  away  where  you  and 
your  father  and  mother  will  make  their  home  with 
us.  Do  not  let  the  sins  of  the  fathers  embitter  the 
lives  of  the  children." 

"  Mine  has  not  sinned,"  said  Shirley  bitterly. 

"  I  wish  I  could  say  the  same  of  mine,"  replied  Jef 
ferson.  "  It  is  because  the  clouds  are  dark  about  you 
that  I  want  to  come  into  your  life  to  comfort  you." 

The  girl  shook  her  head. 

"  No,  Jefferson,  the  circumstances  make  such  a  mar- 
248 


THE   MOUSE 

riage  impossible.  Your  family  and  everybody  else 
would  say  that  I  had  inveigled  you  into  it.  It  is  even 
more  impossible  now  than  I  thought  it  was  when  I 
spoke  to  you  on  the  ship.  Then  I  was  worried  about 
my  father's  trouble  and  could  give  no  thought  to  any 
thing  else.  Now  it  is  different.  Your  father's  action 
has  made  our  union  impossible  for  ever.  I  thank  you 
for  the  honour  you  have  done  me.  I  do  like  you.  I 
like  you  well  enough  to  be  your  wife,  but  I  will  not 
accept  this  sacrifice  on  your  part.  Your  offer,  com 
ing  at  such  a  critical  time,  is  dictated  only  by  your 
noble,  generous  nature,  by  your  sympathy  for  our  mis 
fortune.  Afterwards,  you  might  regret  it.  If  my 
father  were  convicted  and  driven  from  the  bench  and 
you  found  you  had  married  the  daughter  of  a  dis 
graced  man  you  would  be  ashamed  of  us  all,  and  if  I 
saw  that  it  would  break  my  heart." 

Emotion  stopped  her  utterance  and  she  buried  her 
face  in  her  hands  weeping  silently. 

"  Shirley,"  said  Jefferson  gently,  "  you  are  wrong. 
I  love  you  for  yourself,  not  because  of  your  trouble. 
You  know  that.  I  shall  never  love  any  other  woman 
but  you.  If  you  will  not  say  '  yes '  now,  I  shall  go 
away  as  I  told  my  father  I  would  and  one  day  I  shall 
come  back  and  then  if  you  are  still  single  I  shall  ask 
you  again  to  be  my  wife." 

249 


THE    LION  & 

"Where  are  you  going?"  she  asked. 

"  I  shall  travel  for  a  year  and  then,  may  be,  I  shall 
stay  a  couple  of  years  in  Paris,  studying  at  the  Beaux 
Arts.  Then  I  may  go  to  Rome.  If  I  am  to  do  any 
thing  worth  while  in  the  career  I  have  chosen  I  must 
have  that  European  training." 

"  Paris !  Rome  !  "  echoed  Shirley.  "  How  I  envy 
you !  Yes,  you  are  right.  Get  away  from  this  country 
where  the  only  topic,  the  only  thought  is  money,  where 
the  only  incentive  to  work  is  dollars.  Go  where  there 
are  still  some  ideals,  where  you  can  breathe  the  at 
mosphere  of  culture  and  art." 

Forgetting  momentarily  her  own  troubles,  Shirley 
chatted  on  about  life  in  the  art  centres  of  Europe,  ad 
vised  Jefferson  where  to  go,  with  whom  to  study.  She 
knew  people  in  Paris,  Rome  and  Munich  and  she 
would  give  him  letters  to  them.  Only,  if  he  wanted 
to  perfect  himself  in  the  languages,  he  ought  to  avoid 
Americans  and  cultivate  the  natives.  Then,  who  could 
tell?  if  he  worked  hard  and  was  lucky,  he  might  have 
something  exhibited  at  the  Salon  and  return  to  Amer 
ica  a  famous  painter. 

"  If  I  do,"  smiled  Jefferson,  "  you  shall  be  the  first 
to  congratulate  me.  I  shall  come  and  ask  you  to  be. 
my  wife.  May  I  ?  "  he  added, 

Shirley  smiled  gravely. 


THE   MOUSE 

"  Get  famous  first.  You  may  not  want  me  then." 

"  I  shall  always  want  you,"  he  whispered  hoarsely, 
bending  over  her.  In  the  dim  light  of  the  porch  he  saw 
that  her  tear-stained  face  was  drawn  and  pale.  He 
rose  and  held  out  his  hand. 

"  Good-bye,"  he  said  simply. 

"  Good-bye,  Jefferson."  She  rose  and  put  her  hand 
in  his.  "  We  shall  always  be  friends.  I,  too,  am  going 
away." 

"  You  going  away — where  to  ?  "  he  asked  surprised. 

"  I  have  work  to  do  in  connection  with  my  father's 
case,"  she  said. 

"  You  ?  "  said  Jefferson  puzzled.  "  You  have  work 
to  do — what  work  ?  " 

"  I  can't  say  what  it  is,  Jefferson.  There  are  good 
reasons  why  I  can't.  You  must  take  my  word  for  it 
that  it  is  urgent  and  important  work."  Then  she 
added :  "  You  go  your  way,  Jefferson ;  I  will  go  mine. 
It  was  not  our  destiny  to  belong  to  each  other.  You 
will  become  famous  as  an  artist.  And  I " 

"  And  you — "  echoed  Jefferson. 

"  I — I  shall  devote  my  life  to  my  father.  I'ts  no 
use,  Jefferson — really — I've  thought  it  all  out.  You 
must  not  come  back  to  me — you  understand.  We 
must  be  alone  with  our  grief — father  and  I.  Good 
bye." 

251 


THE  LION  & 

He  raised  her  hand  to  his  lips. 

"  Good-bye,  Shirley.  Don't  forget  me.  I  shall  come 
back  for  you." 

He  went  down  the  porch  and  she  watched  him  go 
out  of  the  gate  and  down  the  road  until  she  could  see 
his  figure  no  longer.  Then  she  turned  back  and  sank 
into  her  chair  and  burying  her  face  in  her  handker 
chief  she  gave  way  to  a  torrent  of  tears  which  afforded 
some  relief  to  the  weight  on  her  heart.  Presently  the 
others  returned  from  their  walk  and  she  told  them 
about  the  visitor. 

"  Mr.  Ryder's  son,  Jefferson,  was  here.  We  crossed 
on  the  same  ship.  I  introduced  him  to  Judge  Stott 
on  the  dock." 

The  judge  looked  surprised,  but  he  merely  said: 

"  I  hope  for  his  sake  that  he  is  a  different  man  from 
his  father." 

"  He  is,"  replied  Shirley  simply,  and  nothing  more 
was  said. 

Two  days  went  by,  during  which  Shirley  went  on 
completing  the  preparations  for  her  visit  to  New  York. 
It  was  arranged  that  Stott  should  escort  her  to  the 
city.  Shortly  before  they  started  for  the  train  a  letter 
arrived  for  Shirley.  Like  the  first  one  it  had  been 
forwarded  by  her  publishers.  It  read  as  follows: 

252 


THE  MOUSE 

Miss  SHIRLEY  GREEN, 

Dear  Madam. — I  shall  be  happy  to  see  you  at  my  residence — 
Fifth  Avenue — any  afternoon  that  you  will  mention. 
Yours  very  truly, 

JOHN  BURKETT  RYDER, 

per  B. 

Shirley  smiled  in  triumph  as,  unseen  by  her  father 
and  mother,  she  passed  it  over  to  Stott.  biie  at  once 
sat  down  and  wrote  this  reply: 

MR.  JOHN  BURKETT  RYDER, 

Dear  Sir. — I  am  sorry  that  I  am  unable  to  comply  with  your 
request.  I  prefer  the  invitation  to  call  at  your  private  residence 
should  come  from  Mrs.  Ryder. 

Yours,  etc., 

SHIRLEY  GREEN. 

She  laughed  as  she  showed  this  to  Stott : 
"  He'll  write  me  again,"  she  said,  "  and  next  time 
his  wife  will  sign  the  letter." 

An  hour  later  she  left  Massapequa  for  the  city. 


253 


THE   LION  & 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  HON.  FITZROY  BAGLEY  had  every 
reason  to  feel  satisfied  with  himself.  His 
affaire  de  c&ur  with  the  Senator's  daughter 
was  progressing  more  smoothly  than  ever,  and  nothing 
now  seemed  likely  to  interfere  with  his  carefully  pre 
pared  plans  to  capture  an  American  heiress.  The 
interview  with  Kate  Roberts  in  the  library,  so  awk 
wardly  disturbed  by  Jefferson's  unexpected  intrusion, 
had  been  followed  by  other  interviews  more  secret  and 
more  successful,  and  the  plausible  secretary  had  con 
trived  so  well  to  persuade  the  girl  that  he  really 
thought  the  world  of  her,  and  that  a  brilliant  future 
awaited  her  as  his  wife,  that  it  was  not  long  before 
he  found  her  in  a  mood  to  refuse  him  nothing. 

Bagley  urged  immediate  marriage;  he  insinuated 
that  Jefferson  had  treated  her  shamefully  and  that  she 
owed  it  to  herself  to  show  the  world  that  there  were 
other  men  as  good  as  the  one  who  had  jilted  her. 
He  argued  that  in  view  of  the  Senator  being  bent  on 
the  match  with  Ryder's  son  it  would  be  worse  than 
useless  for  him,  Bagley,  to  make  formal  application 

254 


THE   MOUSE 

for  her  hand,  so,  as  he  explained,  the  only  thing  which 
remained  was  a  runaway  marriage.  Confronted  with 
the  fait  accompli,  papa  Roberts  would  bow  to  the  inev 
itable.  They  could  get  married  quietly  in  town,  go 
away  for  a  short  trip,  and  when  the  Senator  had  got 
ten  over  his  first  disappointment  they  would  be  wel 
comed  back  with  open  arms. 

Kate  listened  willingly  enough  to  this  specious 
reasoning.  In  her  heart  she  was  piqued  at  Jefferson's 
indifference  and  she  was  foolish  enough  to  really  be 
lieve  that  this  marriage  with  a  British  nobleman,  twice 
removed,  would  be  in  the  nature  of  a  triumph  over 
him.  Besides,  this  project  of  an  elopement  appealed 
strangely  to  her  frivolous  imagination;  it  put  her  in 
the  same  class  as  all  her  favourite  novel  heroines.  And 
it  would  be  capital  fun ! 

Meantime,  Senator  Roberts,  in  blissful  ignorance  of 
this  little  plot  against  his  domestic  peace,  was  growing 
impatient  and  he  approached  his  friend  Ryder  once 
more  on  the  subject  of  his  son  Jefferson.  The  young 
man,  he  said,  had  been  back  from  Europe  some  time. 
He  insisted  on  knowing  what  his  attitude  was  towards 
his  daughter.  If  they  were  engaged  to  be  married 
he  said  there  should  be  a  public  announcement  of  the 
fact.  It  was  unfair  to  him  and  a  slight  to  his  daughter 
to  let  matters  hang  fire  in  this  unsatisfactory  way  and 

255 


THE   LION  & 

he  hinted  that  both  himself  and  his  daughter  might  de 
mand  their  passports  from  the  Ryder  mansion  unless 
some  explanation  were  forthcoming. 

Ryder  was  in  a  quandary.  He  had  no  wish  to  quar 
rel  with  his  useful  Washington  ally ;  he  recognized  the 
reasonableness  of  his  complaint.  Yet  what  could  he 
do  ?  Much  as  he  himself  desired  the  marriage,  his  son 
was  obstinate  and  showed  little  inclination  to  settle 
down.  He  even  hinted  at  attractions  in  another  quar 
ter.  He  did  not  tell  the  Senator  of  his  recent  inter 
view  with  his  son  when  the  latter  made  it  very  plain 
that  the  marriage  could  never  take  place.  Ryder,  Sr., 
had  his  own  reasons  for  wishing  to  temporize.  It  was 
quite  possible  that  Jefferson  might  change  his  mind  and 
abandon  his  idea  of  going  abroad  and  he  suggested  to 
the  Senator  that  perhaps  if  he,  the  Senator,  made  the 
engagement  public  through  the  newspapers  it  might 
have  the  salutary  effect  of  forcing  his  son's  hand. 

So  a  few  mornings  later  there  appeared  among  the 
society  notes  in  several  of  the  New  York  papers  this 
paragraph : 

"  The  engagement  is  announced  of  Miss  Katherine  Roberts,  only 
daughter  of  senator  Roberts  of  Wisconsin,  to  Jefferson  Ryder,  son 
of  Mr.  John  Burkett  Ityder." 

Two  persons  in  New  York  happened  to  see  the  item 
about  the  same  time  and  both  were  equally  interested, 

256 


THE   MOUSE 

although  it  affected  them  in  a  different  manner.  One 
was  Shirley  Rossmore,  who  had  chanced  to  pick  up 
the  newspaper  at  the  breakfast  table  in  her  boarding 
house. 

"  So  soon?  "  she  murmured  to  herself.  Well,  why 
not?  She  could  not  blame  Jefferson.  He  had  often 
spoken  to  her  of  this  match  arranged  by  his  father  and 
they  had  laughed  over  it  as  a  typical  marriage  of  con 
venience  modelled  after  the  Continental  pattern.  Jef 
ferson,  she  knew,  had  never  cared  for  the  girl  nor 
taken  the  affair  seriously.  Some  powerful  influences 
must  have  been  at  work  to  make  him  surrender  so 
easily.  Here  again  she  recognized  the  masterly  hand 
of  Ryder,  Sr.,  and  more  than  ever  she  was  eager  to 
meet  this  extraordinary  man  and  measure  her  strength 
with  his.  Her  mind,  indeed,  was  too  full  of  her  father's 
troubles  to  grieve  over  her  own  however  much  she 
might  have  been  inclined  to  do  so  under  other  circum 
stances,  and  all  that  da:y  she  did  her  best  to  banish  the 
paragraph  from  her  thoughts.  More  than  a  week  had 
passed  since  she  left  Massapequa  and  what  with  cor 
responding  with  financiers,  calling  on  editors  and  pub 
lishers,  every  moment  of  her  time  had  been  kept  busy. 
She  had  found  a  quiet  and  reasonable  priced  boarding 
house  off  Washington  Square  and  here  Stott  had  called 
several  times  to  see  her.  Her  correspondence  with 

257 


THE  LION  & 

Mr.  Ryder  Had  now  reached  a  phase  when  it  was  im 
possible  to  invent  any  further  excuses  for  delaying  the 
interview  asked  for.  As  she  had  foreseen,  a  day  or 
two  after  her  arrival  in  town  she  had  received  a  note 
from  Mrs.  Ryder  asking  her  to  do  her  the  honour  to 
call  and  see  her,  and  Shirley,  after  waiting  another  two 
days,  had  replied  making  an  appointment  for  the  fol 
lowing  day  at  three  o'clock.  This  was  the  same  day 
on  which  the  paragraph  concerning  the  Ryder-Roberts 
engagement  appeared  in  the  society  chronicles  of  the 
metropolis. 

Directly  after  the  meagre  meal  which  in  New  York 
boarding  houses  is  dignified  by  the  name  of  luncheon, 
Shirley  proceeded  to  get  ready  for  this  portentous  visit 
to  the  Ryder  mansion.  She  was  anxious  to  make  a 
favourable  impression  on  the  financier,  so  she  took 
some  pains  with  her  personal  appearance.  She  always 
looked  stylish,  no  matter  what  she  wore,  and  her  pov 
erty  was  of  too  recent  date  to  make  much  difference 
to  her  wardrobe,  which  was  still  well  supplied  with 
Paris-made  gowns.  She  selected  a  simple  close-fitting 
gown  of  gray  chiffon  cloth  and  a  picture  hat  of  Leg 
horn  straw  heaped  with  red  roses,  Shirley's  favourite 
flower.  Thus  arrayed,  she  sallied  forth  at  two  o'clock 
—a  little  gray  mouse  to  do  battle  with  the  formidable 
lion. 

258 


THE   MOUSE 

The  sky  was  threatening,  so  instead  of  walking  a 
short  way  up  Fifth  Avenue  for  exercise,  as  she  had 
intended  doing,  she  cut  across  town  through  Ninth 
Street,  and  took  the  surface  car  on  Fourth  Avenue. 
This  would  put  her  down  at  Madison  Avenue  and 
Seventy-fourth  Street,  which  was  only  a  block  from 
the  Ryder  residence.  She  looked  so  pretty  and  was 
so  well  dressed  that  the  passers-by  who  looked  after 
her  wondered  why  she  did  not  take  a  cab  instead  of 
standing  on  a  street  corner  for  a  car.  But  one's  out 
ward  appearance  is  not  always  a  faithful  index  to  the 
condition  of  one's  pocketbook,  and  Shirley  was  rapidly 
acquiring  the  art  of  economy. 

It  was  not  without  a  certain  trepidation  that  she  be 
gan  this  journey.  So  far,  all  her  plans  had  been  based 
largely  on  theory,  but  now  that  she  was  actually  on  her 
way  to  Mr.  Ryder  all  sorts  of  misgivings  beset  her. 
Suppose  he  knew  her  by  sight  and  roughly  accused 
her  of  obtaining  access  to  his  house  under  false  pre 
tences  and  then  had  her  ejected  by  the  servants?  How 
terrible  and  humiliating  that  would  be!  And  even  if 
he  did  not  how  could  she  possibly  find  those  letters 
with  him  watching  her,  and  all  in  the  brief  time  of  a 
conventional  afternoon  call?  It  had  been  an  absurd 
idea  from  the  first.  Stott  was  right ;  she  saw  that  now. 
But  she  had  entered  upon  it  and  she  was  not  going  tp 

259 


THE   LION  & 

confess  herself  beaten  until  she  had  tried.  And  as  the 
car  sped  along  Madison  Avenue,  gradually  drawing 
nearer  to  the  house  which  she  was  going  to  enter  dis 
guised  as  it  were,  like  a  burglar,  she  felt  cold  chills 
run  up  and  down  her  spine — the  same  sensation  that 
one  experiences  when  one  rings  the  bell  of  a  dentist's 
where  one  has  gone  to  have  a  tooth  extracted.  In 
fact,  she  felt  so  nervous  and  frightened  that  if  she  had 
not  been  ashamed  before  herself  she  would  have  turned 
back.  In  about  twenty  minutes  the  car  stopped  at  the 
corner  of  Seventy-fourth  Street.  Shirley  descended 
and  with  a  quickened  pulse  walked  towards  the  Ryder 
mansion,  which  she  knew  well  by  sight. 

There  was  one  other  person  in  New  York  who,  that 
same  morning,  had  read  the  newspaper  item  regarding 
the  Ryder-Roberts  betrothal,  and  he  did  not  take  the 
matter  so  calmly  as  Shirley  had  done.  On  the  con 
trary,  it  had  the  effect  of  putting  him  into  a  violent 
rage.  This  was  Jefferson.  He  was  working  in  his 
studio  when  he  read  it  and  five  minutes  later  he  was 
tearing  up-town  to  seek  the  author  of  it.  He  under 
stood  its  object,  of  course;  they  wanted  to  force  his 
hand,  to  shame  him  into  this  marriage,  to  so  entangle 
him  with  the  girl  that  no  other  alternative  would  be 
possible  to  an  honourable  man.  It  was  a  despicable 

260 


THE   MOUSE 

trick  and  he  had  no  doubt  that  his  father  was  at  the 
back  of  it.  So  his  mind  now  was  fully  made  up.  He 
would  go  away  at  once  where  they  could  not  make  his 
life  a  burden  with  this  odious  marriage  which  was 
fast  becoming  a  nightmare  to  him.  He  would  close 
up  his  studio  and  leave  immediately  for  Europe.  He 
would  show  his  father  once  for  all  that  he  was  a  man 
and  expected  to  be  treated  as  one. 

He  wondered  what  Shirley  was  doing.  Where  had 
she  gone,  what  was  this  mysterious  work  of  which  she 
had  spoken?  He  only  realized  now,  when  she  seemed 
entirely  beyond  his  reach,  how  much  he  loved  her  and 
how  empty  his  life  would  be  without  her.  He  would 
know  no  happiness  until  she  was  his  wife.  Her  words 
on  the  porch  did  not  discourage  him.  Under  the  cir 
cumstances  he  could  not  expect  her  to  have  said  any 
thing  else.  She  could  not  marry  into  John  Ryder's 
family  with  such  a  charge  hanging  over  her  own 
father's  head,  but,  later,  when  the  trial  was  over,  no 
matter  how  it  turned  out,  he  would  go  to  her  again  and 
ask  her  to  be  his  wife. 

On  arriving  home  the  first  person  he  saw  was  the 
ubiquitous  Mr.  Bagley,  who  stood  at  the  top  of  the  first 
staircase  giving  some  letters  to  the  butler.  Jefferson 
cornered  him  at  once,  holding  out  the  newspaper  con 
taining  the  offending  paragraph. 

261 


THE   LION   & 

"  Say,  Bagley,"  he  cried,  "  what  does  this  mean?  Is 
this  any  of  your  doing  ?  " 

The  English  secretary  gave  his  employer's  son  a 
haughty  stare,  and  then,  without  deigning  to  reply  or 
even  to  glance  at  the  newspaper,  continued  his  instruc 
tions  to  the  servant: 

"  Here,  Jorkins,  get  stamps  for  all  these  letters  and 
see  they  are  mailed  at  once.  They  are  very  important." 

"  Very  good,  sir." 

The  man  took  the  letters  and  disappeared,  while  Jef 
ferson,  impatient,  repeated  his  question : 

"  My  doing  ?  "  sneered  Mr.  Bagley.  "  Really,  Jeffer 
son,  you  go  too  far !  Do  you  suppose  for  one  instant 
that  I  would  condescend  to  trouble  myself  with  your 
affairs?" 

Jefferson  was  in  no  mood  to  put  up  with  insolence 
from  anyone,  especially  from  a  man  whom  he  heartily 
despised,  so  advancing  menacingly  he  thundered : 

"  I  mean — were  you,  in  the  discharge  of  your 
menial-like  duties,  instructed  by  my  father  to  send  that 
paragraph  to  the  newspapers  regarding  my  alleged  be 
trothal  to  Miss  Roberts  ?  Yes  or  No  ?  " 

The  man  winced  and  made  a  step  backward.  There 
was  a  gleam  in  the  Ryder  eye  which  he  knew  by  ex 
perience  boded  no  good. 

"  Really,  Jefferson,"  he  said  in  a  more  conciliatory 
262 


THE   MOUSE 

tone,  "  I  know  absolutely  nothing  about  the  paragraph. 
This  is  the  first  I  hear  of  it.  Why  not  ask  your 
father?" 

"  I  will,"  replied  Jefferson  grimly. 

He  was  turning  to  go  in  the  direction  of  the  library 
when  Bagley  stopped  him. 

"  You  cannot  possibly  see  him  now,"  he  said.  "  Ser 
geant  Ellison  of  the  Secret  Service  is  in  there  with 
him,  and  your  father  told  me  not  to  disturb  him  on 
any  account.  He  has  another  appointment  at  three 
o'clock  with  some  woman  who  writes  books." 

Seeing  that  the  fellow  was  in  earnest,  Jefferson  did 
not  insist.  He  could  see  his  father  a  little  later  or 
send  him  a  message  through  his  mother.  Proceeding 
upstairs  he  found  Mrs.  Ryder  in  her  room  and  in  a 
few  energetic  words  he  explained  the  situation  to  his 
mother.  They  had  gone  too  far  with  this  match 
making  business,  he  said,  his  father  was  trying  to  in 
terfere  with  his  personal  liberty  and  he  was  going  to 
put  a  stop  to  it.  He  would  leave  at  once  for  Europe. 
Mrs.  Ryder  had  already  heard  of  the  projected  trip 
abroad,  so  the  news  of  this  sudden  departure  was  not 
the  shock  it  might  otherwise  have  been.  In  her  heart 
she  did  not  blame  her  son,  on  the  contrary  she  admired 
his  spirit,  and  if  the  temporary  absence  from  home 
would  make  him  happier,  she  would  not  hold  him 

263 


THE   LION   & 

back.  Yet,  mother  like,  she  wept  and  coaxed,  but  noth 
ing  would  shake  Jefferson  in  his  determination  and  he 
begged  his  mother  to  make  it  very  plain  to  his  father 
that  this  was  final  and  that  a  few  days  would  see  him 
on  his  way  abroad.  He  would  try  and  come  back  to 
see  his  father  that  afternoon,  but  otherwise  she  was  to 
say  good-bye  for  him.  Mrs.  Ryder  promised  tearfully 
to  do  what  her  son  demanded  and  a  few  minutes  later 
Jefferson  was  on  his  way  to  the  front  door. 

As  he  went  down  stairs  something  white  on  the  car 
pet  attracted  his  attention.  He  stooped  and  picked  it 
up.  It  was  a  letter.  It  was  in  Bagley's  handwriting 
and  had  evidently  been  dropped  by  the  man  to  whom 
the  secretary  had  given  it  to  post.  But  what  interested 
Jefferson  more  than  anything  else  was  that  it  was  ad 
dressed  to  Miss  Kate  Roberts.  Under  ordinary  cir 
cumstances,  a  king's  ransom  would  not  have  tempted 
the  young  man  to  read  a  letter  addressed  to  another, 
but  he  was  convinced  that  his  father's  secretary  was 
an  adventurer  and  if  he  were  carrying  on  an  intrigue 
in  this  manner  it  could  have  only  one  meaning.  It 
was  his  duty  to  unveil  a  rascal  who  was  using  the 
Ryder  roof  and  name  to  further  his  own  ends  and  vic 
timize  a  girl  who,  although  sophisticated  enough  to 
know  better,  was  too  silly  to  realize  the  risk  she  ran  at 

264 


THE  MOUSE 

the  hands  of  an  unscrupulous  man.     Hesitating  no 
longer,  Jefferson  tore  open  the  envelope  and  read: 

My  dearest  wife  that  is  to  be: 

I  have  arranged  everything.  Next  Wednesday — just  a  week 
from  to-day — we  will  go  to  the  house  of  a  discreet  friend  of  mine 
where  a  minister  will  marry  us;  then  we  will  go  to  City  Hall  and  get 
through  the  legal  part  of  it.  Afterwards,  we  can  catch  the  four 
o'clock  train  for  Buffalo.  Meet  me  in  the  ladies'  room  at  the  Hol 
land  House  Wednesday  morning  at  n  a.m.  I  will  come  there 
with  a  closed  cab.  Your  devoted 

FITZ. 

"  Phew !  "  Jefferson  whistled.  A  close  shave  this  for 
Senator  Roberts,  he  thought.  His  first  impulse  was  to 
go  upstairs  again  to  his  mother  and  put  the  matter  in 
her  hands.  She  would  immediately  inform  his  father, 
who  would  make  short  work  of  Mr.  Bagley.  But, 
thought  Jefferson,  why  should  he  spoil  a  good  thing? 
He  could  afford  to  wait  a  day  or  two.  There  was  no 
hurry.  He  could  allow  Bagley  to  think  all  was  going 
swimmingly  arid  then  uncover  the  plot  at  the  eleventh 
hour.  He  would  even  let  this  letter  go  to  Kate,  there 
was  no  difficulty  in  procuring  another  envelope  and 
imitating  the  handwriting — and  when  Bagley  was  just 
preparing  to  go  to  the  rendezvous  he  would  spring  the 
trap.  Such  a  cad  deserved  no  mercy.  The  scandal 
would  be  a  knock-out  blow,  his  father  would  discharge 
him  on  the  spot  and  that  would  be  the  last  they  would 

265 


THE   LION  & 

see  of  the  aristocratic  English  secretary.    Jefferson  put 
the  letter  in  his  pocket  and  left  the  house  rejoicing. 

While  the  foregoing  incidents  were  happening  John 
Burkett  Ryder  was  secluded  in  his  library.  The  great 
man  had  come  home  earlier  than  usual,  for  he  had  two 
important  callers  to  see  by  appointment  that  afternoon. 
One  was  Sergeant  Ellison,  who  had  to  report  on  his 
mission  to  Massapequa;  the  other  was  Miss  Shirley 
Green,  the  author  of  "  The  American  Octopus/'  who 
had  at  last  deigned  to  honour  him  with  a  visit.  Pending 
the  arrival  of  these  visitors  the  financier  was  busy  with 
his  secretary  trying  to  get  rid  as  rapidly  as  possible  of 
what  business  and  correspondence  there  was  on  hand. 

The  plutocrat  was  sitting  at  his  desk  poring  over  a 
mass  of  papers.  Between  his  teeth  was  the  inevitable 
long  black  cigar  and  when  he  raised  his  eyes  to  the 
light  a  close  observer  might  have  remarked  that  they 
were  sea-green,  a  colour  they  assumed  when  the  man 
of  millions  was  absorbed  in  scheming  new  business 
deals.  Every  now  and  then  he  stopped  reading  the 
papers  to  make  quick  calculations  on  scraps  of  paper. 
Then  if  the  result  pleased  him,  a  smile  overspread  his 
saturnine  features.  He  rose  from  his  chair  and  nerv 
ously  paced  the  floor  as  he  always  did  when  thinking 
deeply. 

266 


THE   MOUSE 

"  Five  millions,"  he  muttered,  "  not  a  cent  more.  If 
they  won't  sell  we'll  crush  them " 

Mr.  Bagley  entered.    Mr.  Ryder  looked  up  quickly. 

"Well,  Bagley?"  he  said  interrogatively.  "Has 
Sergeant  Ellison  come  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir.  But  Mr.  Herts  is  downstairs.  He  insists 
on  seeing  you  about  the  Philadelphia  gas  deal.  He  says 
it  is  a  matter  of  life  and  death." 

"  To  him — yes,"  answered  the  financier  dryly.  "  Let 
him  come  up.  We  might  as  well  have  it  out  now." 

Mr.  Bagley  went  out  and  returned  almost  immedi 
ately,  followed  by  a  short,  fat  man,  rather  loudly 
dressed  and  apoplectic  in  appearance.  He  looked  like 
a  prosperous  brewer,  while,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  he  was 
president  of  a  gas  company,  one  of  the  shrewdest  pro 
moters  in  the  country,  and  a  big  man  in  Wall  Street. 
There  was  only  one  bigger  man  and  that  was  John 
Ryder.  But,  to-day,  Mr.  Herts  was  not  in  good  condi 
tion.  His  face  was  pale  and  his  manner  flustered  and 
nervous.  He  was  plainly  worried. 

"  Mr.  Ryder,"  he  began  with  excited  gesture,  "  the 
terms  you  offer  are  preposterous.  It  would  mean  dis 
aster  to  the  stockholders.  Our  gas  properties  are  worth 
six  times  that  amount.  We  will  sell  out  for  twenty 
millions — not  a  cent  less." 

Ryder  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

267 


THE   LION  & 

"  Mr.  Herts,"  he  replied  coolly,  "  I  am  busy  to-day 
and  in  no  mood  for  arguing.  We'll  either  buy  you  out 
or  force  you  out.  Choose.  You  have  our  offer.  Five 
millions  for  your  gas  property.  Will  you  take  it  ?  " 

"  We'll  see  you  in  hell  first !  "  cried  his  visitor  ex 
asperated. 

"  Very  well,"  replied  Ryder  still  unruffled,  "  all  nego 
tiations  are  off.  You  leave  me  free  to  act.  We  have 
an  offer  to  buy  cheap  the  old  Germantown  Gas  Com 
pany  which  has  charter  rights  to  go  into  any  of  the 
streets  of  Philadelphia.  We  shall  purchase  that  com 
pany,  we  will  put  ten  millions  new  capital  into  it,  and 
reduce  the  price  of  gas  in  Philadelphia  to  sixty  cents  a 
thousand.  Where  will  you  be  then  ?  " 

The  face  of  the  Colossus  as  he  uttered  this  stand 
and  deliver  speech  was  calm  and  inscrutable.  Con 
scious  of  the  resistless  power  of  his  untold  millions, 
he  felt  no  more  compunction  in  mercilessly  crushing  this 
business  rival  than  he  would  in  trampling  out  the  life 
of  a  worm.  The  little  man  facing  him  looked  haggard 
and  distressed.  He  knew  well  that  this  was  no  idle 
threat.  He  was  well  aware  that  Ryder  and  his  asso 
ciates  by  the  sheer  weight  of  the  enormous  wealth 
they  controlled  could  sell  out  or  destroy  any  industrial 
corporation  in  the  land.  It  was  plainly  illegal,  but  it 
was  done  every  day,  and  his  company  was  not  the  first 

268 


THE   MOUSE 

victim  nor  the  last.-  Desperate,  he  appealed  humbly  to 
the  tyrannical  Money  Power : 

"  Don't  drive  us  to  the  wall,  Mr.  Ryder.  This 
forced  sale  will  mean  disaster  to  us  all.  Put  yourself 
in  our  place — think  what  it  means  to  scores  of  families 
whose  only  support  is  the  income  from  their  invest 
ment  in  our  company." 

"  Mr.  Herts,"  replied  Ryder  unmoved,  "  I  never 
allow  sentiment  to  interfere  with  business.  You  have 
heard  my  terms.  I  refuse  to  argue  the  matter  further. 
What  is  it  to  be?  Five  millions  or  competition?  De 
cide  now  or  this  interview  must  end !  " 

He  took  out  his  watch  and  with  his  other  hand 
touched  a  bell.  Beads  of  perspiration  stood  on  his 
visitor's  forehead.  In  a  voice  broken  with  suppressed 
emotion  he  said  hoarsely: 

"  You're  a  hard,  pitiless  man,  John  Ryder !  So  be 
it — five  millions.  I  don't  know  what  they'll  say.  I 
don't  dare  return  to  them." 

"  Those  are  my  terms,"  said  Ryder  coldly.  "  The 
papers,"  he  added,  "  will  be  ready  for  your  signature 
to-morrow  at  this  time,  and  I'll  have  a  cheque  ready 
for  the  entire  amount.  Good-day." 

Mr.  Bagley  entered.  Ryder  bowed  to  Herts,  who 
slowly  retired.  When  the  door  had  closed  on  him 

269 


THE  LION  & 

Ryder  went  back  to  his  desk,  a  smile  of  triumph  on 
his  face.  Then  he  turned  to  his  secretary: 

"  Let  Sergeant  Ellison  come  up,"  he  said. 

The  secretary  left  the  room  and  Mr.  Ryder  sank  com 
fortably  in  his  chair,  puffing  silently  at  his  long  black 
cigar.  The  financier  was  thinking,  but  his  thoughts 
concerned  neither  the  luckless  gas  president  he  had 
just  pitilessly  crushed,  nor  the  detective  who  had  come 
to  make  his  report.  He  was  thinking  of  the  book  "  The 
American  Octopus,"  and  its  bold  author  whom  he  was 
to  meet  in  a  very  few  minutes.  He  glanced  at  the 
clock.  A  quarter  to  three.  She  would  be  here  in 
fifteen  minutes  if  she  were  punctual,  but  women  sel 
dom  are,  he  reflected.  What  kind  of  a  woman  could 
she  be,  this  Shirley  Green,  to  dare  cross  swords  with 
a  man  whose  power  was  felt  in  two  hemispheres?  No 
ordinary  woman,  that  was  certain.  He  tried  to  im 
agine  what  she  looked  like,  and  he  pictured  a  tall, 
gaunt,  sexless  spinster  with  spectacles,  a  sort  of  night 
mare  in  the  garb  of  a  woman.  A  sour,  discontented 
creature,  bitter  to  all  mankind,  owing  to  disappoint 
ments  in  early  life  and  especially  vindictive  towards  the 
rich,  whom  her  socialistic  and  even  anarchistical  ten 
dencies  prompted  her  to  hate  and  attack.  Yet,  withal, 
a  brainy,  intelligent  woman,  remarkably  well  informed 
as  to  political  and  industrial  conditions— a  woman  to 

270 


THE    MOUSE 

make  a  friend  of  rather  than  an  enemy.  And  John 
Ryder,  who  had  educated  himself  to  believe  that  with 
gold  he  could  do  everything,  that  none  could  resist  its 
power,  had  no  doubt  that  with  money  he  could  enlist 
this  Shirley  Green  in  his  service.  At  least  it  would 
keep  her  from  writing  more  books  about  him. 

The  door  opened  and  Sergeant  Ellison  entered,  fol 
lowed  by  the  secretary,  who  almost  immediately  with 
drew. 

"  Well,  sergeant,"  said  Mr.  Ryder  cordially,  "  what 
have  you  to  tell  me?  I  can  give  you  only  a  few  min 
utes.  I  expect  a  lady  friend  of  yours." 

The  plutocrat  sometimes  condescended  to  be  jocular 
with  his  subordinates. 

"  A  lady  friend  of  mine,  sir  ?  "  echoed  the  man,  puz 
zled. 

"  Yes — Miss  Shirley  Green,  the  author,"  replied  the 
financier,  enjoying  the  detective's  embarrassment. 
"  That  suggestion  of  yours  worked  out  all  right. 
She's  coming  here  to-day." 

"  I'm  glad  you've  found  her,  sir." 

"  It  was  a  tough  job,"  answered  Ryder  with  a  grim 
ace.  "  We  wrote  her  half  a  dozen  times  before  she 
was  satisfied  with  the  wording  of  the  invitation.  But, 
finally,  we  landed  her  and  I  expect  her  at  three  o'clock. 


271 


THE    LION  & 

Now  what  about  that  Rossmore  girl?  Did  you  go 
down  to  Massapequa  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  have  been  there  half  a  dozen  times.  In 
fact,  I've  just  come  from  there.  Judge  Rossmore  is 
there,  all  right,  but  his  daughter  has  left  for  parts  un 
known." 

"  Gone  away — where  ?  "  exclaimed  the  financier. 

This  was  what  he  dreaded.  As  long  as  he  could 
keep  his  eye  on  the  girl  there  was  little  danger  of  Jef 
ferson  making  a  fool  of  himself ;  with  her  disappeared 
everything  was  possible. 

"  I  could  not  find  out,  sir.  Their  neighbours  don't 
know  much  about  them.  They  say  they're  haughty  and 
stuck  up.  The  only  one  I  could  get  anything  out  of 
was  a  parson  named  Deetle.  He  said  it  was  a  sad 
case,  that  they  had  reverses  and  a  daughter  who  was 
in  Paris " 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  Ryder  impatiently,  "  we  know  all 
that.  But  where's  the  daughter  now  ?  " 

"  Search  me,  sir.  I  even  tried  to  pump  the  Irish 
slavey.  Gee,  what  a  vixen !  She  almost  flew  at  me. 
She  said  she  didn't  know  and  didn't  care." 

Ryder  brought  his  fist  down  with  force  on  his  desk, 
a  trick  he  had  when  he  wished  to  emphasize  a  point. 

"  Sergeant,  I  don't  like  the  mysterious  disappearance 
of  that  girl.  You  must  find  her,  do  you  hear,  you  must 

272 


THE    MOUSE 

find  her  if  it  takes  all  the  sleuths  in  the  country.    Had 
my  son  been  seen  there?  " 

"  The  parson  said  he  saw  a  young  fellow  answering 
his  description  sitting  on  the  porch  of  the  Rossmore 
cottage  the  evening  before  the  girl  disappeared,  but 
he  didn't  know  who  he  was  and  hasn't  seen  him  since." 

"That  was  my  son,  I'll  wager.  He  knows  where 
the  girl  is.  Perhaps  he's  with  her  now.  Maybe  he's 
going  to  marry  her.  That  must  be  prevented  at  any 
cost.  Sergeant,  find  that  Rossmore  girl  and  I'll  give 
you  $1,000." 

The  detective's  face  flushed  with  pleasure  at  the 
prospect  of  so  liberal  a  reward.  Rising  he  said: 

"  I'll  find  her,  sir.    I'll  find  her." 

Mr.  Bagley  entered,  wearing  the  solemn,  important 
air  he  always  affected  when  he  had  to  announce  a  vis 
itor  of  consequence.  But  before  he  could  open  his 
mouth  Mr.  Ryder  said: 

"  Bagley,  when  did  you  see  my  son,  Jefferson,  last  ?  " 

"  To-day,  sir.  He  wanted  to  see  you  to  say  good 
bye.  He  said  he  would  be  back." 

Ryder  gave  a  sigh  of  relief  and  addressing  the  de 
tective  said : 

"  It's  not  so  bad  as  I  thought."  Then  turning  again 
to  his  secretary  he  asked : 

"Well,  Bagley,  what  is  it?" 
273 


THE   LION  & 

"There's  a  lady  downstairs,  sir — Miss  Shirley 
Green." 

The  financier  half  sprang  from  his  seat. 

"  Oh,  yes.  Show  her  up  at  once.  Good-bye,  ser 
geant,  good-bye.  Find  that  Rossmore  woman  and  the 
$1,000  is  yours." 

The  detective  went  out  and  a  few  moments  later 
Mr.  Bagley  reappeared  ushering  in  Shirley. 

The  mouse  was  in  the  den  of  the  lion. 


274 


THE   MOUSE 


CHAPTER  XII 

MR.  RYDER  remained  at  his  desk  and  did  not 
even  look  up  when  his  visitor  entered.  He 
pretended  to  be  busily  preoccupied  with  his 
papers,  which  was  a  favourite  pose  of  his  when  receiv 
ing  strangers.  This  frigid  reception  invariably  served 
its  purpose,  for  it  led  visitors  not  to  expect  more  than 
they  got,  which  usually  was  little  enough.  For  several 
minutes  Shirley  stood  still,  not  knowing  whether  to 
advance  or  to  take  a  seat.  She  gave  a  little  conven 
tional  cough,  and  Ryder  looked  up.  What  he  saw  so 
astonished  him  that  he  at  once  took  from  his  mouth 
the  cigar  he  was  smoking  and  rose  from  his  seat.  He 
had  expected  a  gaunt  old  maid  with  spectacles,  and 
here  was  a  stylish,  good-looking  young  woman,  who 
could  not  possibly  be  over  twenty-five.  There  was 
surely  some  mistake.  This  slip  of  a  girl  could  not 
have  written  "  The  American  Octopus."  He  advanced 
to  greet  Shirley. 

"  You  wish  to  see  me,  Madame  ?  "  he  asked  cour 
teously.  There  were  times  when  even  John  Burkett 
Ryder  could  be  polite. 

275 


THE    LION   & 

"  Yes,"  replied  Shirley,  her  voice  trembling  a  little 
in  spite  of  her  efforts  to  keep  cool.  "  I  am  here  by 
appointment.  Three  o'clock,  Mrs.  Ryder's  note  said. 
I  am  Miss  Green." 

"You— Miss  Green?"  echoed  the  financier  du 
biously. 

"  Yes,  I  am  Miss  Green — Shirley  Green,  author  of 
'  The  American  Octopus.'  You  asked  me  to  call. 
Here  I  am." 

For  the  first  time  in  his  life,  John  Ryder  was  non 
plussed.  He  coughed  and  stammered  and  looked 
round  for  a  place  where  he  could  throw  his  cigar. 
Shirley,  who  enjoyed  his  embarrassment,  put  him  at 
his  ease. 

"  Oh,  please  go  on  smoking,"  she  said ;  "  I  don't 
mind  it  in  the  least." 

Ryder  threw  the  cigar  into  a  receptacle  and  looked 
closely  at  his  visitor. 

"  So  you  are  Shirley  Green,  eh  ?  " 

"  That  is  my  nom-de-plume — yes,"  replied  the  girl 
nervously.  She  was  already  wishing  herself  back  at 
Massapequa.  The  financier  eyed  her  for  a  moment 
in  silence  as  if  trying  to  gauge  the  strength  of  the 
personality  of  this  audacious  young  woman,  who  had 
dared  to  criticise  his  business  methods  in  public  print; 
then,  waving  her  to  a  seat  near  his  desk,  he  said : 

276 


THE   MOUSE 

"Won't  you  sit  down?" 

"Thank  you,"  murmured  Shirley.  She  sat  down, 
and  he  took  his  seat  at  the  other  side  of  the  desk,  which 
brought  them  face  to  face.  Again  inspecting  the  girl 
with  a  close  scrutiny  that  made  her  cheeks  burn,  Ryder 
said: 

"  I  rather  expected—  He  stopped  for  a  moment 
as  if  uncertain  what  to  say,  then  he  added :  "  You're 
younger  than  I  thought  you  were,  Miss  Green,  much 
younger." 

"Time  will  remedy  that,"  smiled  Shirley.  Then, 
mischievously,  she  added :  "  I  rather  expected  to  see 
Mrs.  Ryder." 

There  was  the  faintest  suspicion  of  a  smile  playing 
around  the  corners  of  the  plutocrat's  mouth  as  he 
picked  up  a  book  lying  on  his  desk  and  replied : 

"Yes — she  wrote  you,  but  I — wanted  to  see  you 
about  this." 

Shirley's  pulse  throbbed  faster,  but  she  tried  hard  to 
appear  unconcerned  as  she  answered: 

"  Oh,  my  book — have  you  read  it?" 

"  I  have,"  replied  Ryder  slowly  and,  fixing  her  with 
a  stare  that  was  beginning  to  make  her  uncomfortable, 
he  went  on :  "  No  doubt  your  time  is  valuable,  so  I'll 
come  right  to  the  point.  I  want  to  ask  you,  Miss 
Green,  where  you  got  the  character  of  your  central 

277 


THE   LION  & 

figure — the  Octopus,  as  you  call  him — John  Broder- 
ick?" 

"  From  imagination — of  course,"  answered  Shirley. 

Ryder  opened  the  book,  and  Shirley  noticed  that 
there  were  several  passages  marked.  He  turned  the 
leaves  over  in  silence  for  a  minute  or  two  and  then 
he  said : 

"  You've  sketched  a  pretty  big  man  here " 

"  Yes,"  assented  Shirley,  "  he  has  big  possibilities, 
but  I  think  he  makes  very  small  use  of  them." 

Ryder  appeared  not  to  notice  her  commentary,  and, 
still  reading  the  book,  he  continued: 

"  On  page  22  you  call  him  '  the  world's  greatest  in 
dividualized  potentiality,  a  giant  combination  of  ma 
teriality,  mentality  and  money — the  greatest  exemplar 
of  individual  human  will  in  existence  to-day.'  And 
you  make  indomitable  will  and  energy  the  keystone 
of  his  marvellous  success.  Am  I  right?"  He  looked 
at  her  questioningly. 

"  Quite  right,"  answered  Shirley. 

Ryder  proceeded: 

"  On  page  26  you  say  '  the  machinery  of  his  money- 
making  mind  typifies  the  laws  of  perpetual  unrest.  It 
must  go  on,  relentlessly,  resistlessly,  ruthlessly  making 
money-making  money  and  continuing  to  make  money. 
It  cannot,  stop  until  the  machinery  crumbles,' '' 

178 


THE   MOUSE 

Laying  the  book  down  and  turning  sharply  on  Shir 
ley,  he  asked  her  bluntly: 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  I  couldn't  stop  to-morrow 
if  I  wanted  to?" 

She  affected  to  not  understand  him. 

ff  You  f  "  she  inquired  in  a  tone  of  surprise. 

"Well — it's  a  natural  question,"  stammered  Ryder, 
with  a  nervous  little  laugh ;  "  every  man  sees  himself 
in  the  hero  of  a  novel  just  as  every  woman  sees  her 
self  in  the  heroine.  We're  all  heroes  and  heroines  in 
our  own  eyes.  But  tell  me  what's  your  private  opinion 
of  this  man.  You  drew  the  character.  What  do  you 
think  of  him  as  a  type,  how  would  you  classify  him?  " 

"  As  the  greatest  criminal  the  world  has  yet  pro 
duced,"  replied  Shirley  without  a  moment's  hesitation. 

The  financier  looked  at  the  girl  in  unfeigned  aston 
ishment. 

"Criminal?"  he  echoed. 

"Yes,  criminal,"  repeated  Shirley  decisively.  "He 
is  avarice,  egotism,  and  ambition  incarnate.  He  loves 
money  because  he  loves  power,  and  he  loves  power 
more  than  his  fellow  man." 

Ryder  laughed  uneasily.  Decidedly,  this  girl  had 
opinions  of  her  own  which  she  was  not  backward  to 
express. 

"  Isn't  that  rather  strong?  "  he  asked, 
379 


THE    LION  & 

11 1  don't  think  so,"  replied  Shirley.  Then  quickly 
she  asked :  "  But  what  does  it  matter  ?  No  such  man 
exists." 

"  No,  of  course  not,"  said  Ryder,  and  he  relapsed 
into  silence. 

Yet  while  he  said  nothing,  the  plutocrat  was  watch 
ing  his  visitor  closely  from  under  his  thick  eyebrows. 
She  seemed  supremely  unconscious  of  his  scrutiny. 
Her  aristocratic,  thoughtful  face  gave  no  sign  that  any 
ulterior  motive  had  actuated  her  evidently  very  hostile 
attitude  against  him.  That  he  was  in  her  mind  when 
she  drew  the  character  of  John  Broderick  there  was 
no  doubt  possible.  No  matter  how  she  might  evade 
the  identification,  he  was  convinced  he  was  the  hero 
of  her  book.  Why  had  she  attacked  him  so  bitterly? 
At  first,  it  occurred  to  him  that  blackmail  might  be 
her  object;  she  might  be  going  to  ask  for  money  as 
the  price  of  future  silence.  Yet  it  needed  but  a  glance 
at  her  refined  and  modest  demeanour  to  dispel  that 
idea  as  absurd.  Then  he  remembered,  too,  that  it  was 
not  she  who  had  sought  this  interview,  but  himself. 
No,  she  was  no  blackmailer.  More  probably  she  was 
a  dreamer- — one  of  those  meddling  sociologists  who, 
under  pretence  of  bettering  the  conditions  of  the 
working  classes,  stir  up  discontent  and  bitterness  of 
feeling.  As  auch,  she  might  prove  more  to  be  feared 

280 


THE  MOUSE 

than  a  mere  blackmailer  whom  he  could  buy  off  with 
money.  He  knew  he  was  not  popular,  but  he  Was  no 
worse  than  the  other  captains  of  industry.  It  was  a 
cut-throat  game  at  best.  Competition  was  the  soul 
of  commercial  life,  and  if  he  had  outwitted  his  com 
petitors  and  made  himself  richer  than  all  of  them,  he 
was  not  a  criminal  for  that.  But  all  these  attacks  in 
newspapers  and  books  did  not  do  him  any  good.  One 
day  the  people  might  take  these  demagogic  writings 
seriously  and  then  there  would  be  the  devil  to  pay. 
He  took  up  the  book  again  and  ran  over  the  pages. 
This  certainly  was  no  ordinary  girl.  She  knew  more 
and  had  a  more  direct  way  of  saying  things  than  any 
woman  he  had  ever  met.  And  as  he  watched  her 
furtively  across  the  desk  he  wondered  how  he  could 
use  her;  how  instead  of  being  his  enemy,  he  could 
make  her  his  friend.  If  he  did  not,  she  would  go 
away  and  write  more  such  books,  and  literature 
of  this  kind  might  become  a  real  peril  to  his  in 
terests.  Money  could  do  anything;  it  could  secure 
the  services  of  this  woman  and  prevent  her  doing 
further  mischief.  But  how  could  he  employ  her? 
Suddenly  an  inspiration  came  to  him.  For  some  years 
he  had  been  collecting  material  for  a  history  of  the 
Empire  Trading  Company.  She  could  write  it,  It 


THE    LION  & 

would  practically  be  his  own  biography.  Would  she 
undertake  it? 

Embarrassed  by  the  long  silence,  Shirley  finally 
broke  it  by  saying: 

"  But  you  didn't  ask  me  to  call  merely  to  find  out 
what  I  thought  of  my  own  work." 

"  No,"  replied  Ryder  slowly,  "  I  want  you  to  do 
some  work  for  me." 

He  opened  a  drawer  at  the  left-hand  side  of  his 
desk  and  took  out  several  sheets  of  foolscap  and  a 
number  of  letters.  Shirley's  heart  beat  faster  as  she 
caught  sight  of  the  letters.  Were  her  father's  among 
them  ?  She  wondered  what  kind  of  work  John  Burkett 
Ryder  had  for  her  to  do  and  if  she  would  do  it  what 
ever  it  was.  Some  literary  work  probably,  compiling 
or  something  of  that  kind.  If  it  was  well  paid,  why 
should  she  not  accept?  There  would  be  nothing 
humiliating  in  it;  it  would  not  tie  her  hands  in  any 
way.  She  was  a  professional  writer  in  the  market  to 
be  employed  by  whoever  could  pay  the  price.  Besides, 
such  work  might  give  her  better  opportunities  to  secure 
the  letters  of  which  she  was  in  search.  Gathering  in 
one  pile  all  the  papers  he  had  removed  from  the 
drawer,  Mr.  Ryder  said: 

"  I  want  you  to  put  my  biography  together  from 
this  material,  But  first,"  he  added,  taking  up  "  The 

282 


THE    MOUSE 

American  Octopus,"  "  I  want  to  know  where  you  got 
the  details  of  this  man's  life." 

"  Oh,  for  the  most  part — imagination,  newspapers, 
magazines,"  replied  Shirley  carelessly.  "  You  know 
the  American  millionaire  is  a  very  overworked  topic 
just  now — and  naturally  I've  read " 

"  Yes,  I  understand,"  he  said,  "  but  I  refer  to  what 
you  haven't  read — what  you  couldn't  have  read.  For 
example,  here."  He  turned  to  a  page  marked  in  the 
book  and  read  aloud :  "  As  an  evidence  of  his  petty 
vanity,  when  a  youth  he  had  a  beautiful  Indian  girl 
tattooed  just  above  the  forearm/'  Ryder  leaned  eagerly 
forward  as  he  asked  her  searchingly :  "  Now  who  told 
you  that  I  had  my  arm  tattooed  when  I  was  a  boy  ?  " 

"  Have  you  ?  "  laughed  Shirley  nervously.  "  What 
a  curious  coincidence !  " 

"  Let  me  read  you  another  coincidence,"  said  Ryder 
meaningly.  He  turned  to  another  part  of  the  book 
and  read :  "  the  same  eternal  long  black  cigar  always 
between  his  lips  .  .  .  ." 

"  General  Grant  smoked,  too,"  interrupted  Shirley. 
"  All  men  who  think  deeply  along  material  lines  seem 
to  smoke." 

"Well,  we'll  let  that  go.  But  how  about  this?" 
He  turned  back  a  few  pages  and  read :  "  John  Broder- 
ick  had  loved,  when  a  young  man,  a  girl  who  lived  in 

283 


THE   LION& 

Vermont,  but  circtirnstances  separated  them"  He 
stopped  and  stared  at  Shirley  a  moment  and  then  he 
said :  "  I  loved  a  girl  when  I  was  a  lad  and  she  came 
from  Vermont,  and  circumstances  separated  us.  That 
isn't  coincidence,  for  presently  you  make  John  Brod- 
erick  marry  a  young  woman  who  had  money.  I  mar 
ried  a  girl  with  money." 

"  Lots  of  men  marry  for  money,"  remarked  Shirley. 

"  I  said  with  money,  not  for  money,"  retorted  Ryder. 
Then  turning  again  to  the  book,  he  said :  "  Now,  this 
is  what  I  can't  understand,  for  no  one  could  have  told 
you  this  but  I  myself.  Listen.''  He  read  aloud: 
"  With  all  his  physical  bravery  and  personal  courage, 
John  Broderick  was  intensely  afraid  of  death.  It  was 
on  his  mind  constantly."  "  Who  told  you  that  ?  "  he  de 
manded- somewhat  roughly.  "  I  swear  I've  never  men 
tioned  it  to  a  living  soul." 

"  Most  men  who  amass  money  are  afraid  of  death," 
replied  Shirley  with  outward  composure,  '"  for  death 
is  about  the  only  thing  that  can  separate  them  from 
their  money." 

Ryder  laughed,  but  it  was  a  hollow,  mocking  laugh, 
neither  sincere  nor  hearty.  It  was  a  laugh  such  as 
the  devil  may  have  given  when1  driven  out  of  heaven. 

"You're  quite  a  character!"  He  lAughed  again, 
aftd  Shirley,  cAldiing  the  infection,  Ifctighed,  tod. 


THE    MOUSE 

"  It's  me  and  it  isn't  me,"  went  on  Ryder  flourish 
ing  the  book.  "  This  fellow  Broderick  is  all  right ;  he's 
successful  and  he's  great,  but  I  don't  like  his  finish." 

"  It's  logical,"  ventured  Shirley. 

"  It's  cruel,"  insisted  Ryder. 

"  So  is  the  man  who  reverses  the  divine  law  and 
hates  his  neighbour  instead  of  loving  him,"  retorted 
Shirley. 

She  spoke  more  boldly,  beginning  to  feel  more  sure 
of  her  ground,  and  it  amused  her  to  fence  irj  this  way 
with  the  man  of  millions.  So  far,  she  thought,  he 
had  not  got  the  best  of  her.  She  was  fast  becoming 
used  to  him,  and  tier  first  feeling  of  intimidation  was 
passing  away. 

"Urn!"  grunted  Ryder,  "you're  a  curious  girl;  upon 
my  word  you  interest  me !  "  He  took  the  mass  of 
papers  lying  at  his  elbow  and  pushed  them  over  to 
her.  "  Here,"  he  said,  "  I  want  you  to  make  as  clever 
a  book  QUt  of  this  chaos  as  you  did  out  of  your  own 
imagination." 

Shirley  turned  the  papers  over  carelessly. 

"  So  you  think  your  life  is  a  good  example  to  fol 
low  ?  "  she  asked  with  a  tinge  of  irony. 

"Isn't  it?"  he  demanded. 

The  girl  looked  him  square  in  the  face. 

"  Suppose,"  she  said,  "  we  all  wanted  to  follow  it, 
285 


THE   LION  & 

suppose  we  all  wanted  to  be  the  richest,  the  most  pow 
erful  personage  in  the  world  ?  " 

"  Well— what  then?  "  he  demanded. 

"  I  think  it  would  postpone  the  era  of  the  Brother 
hood  of  man  indefinitely,  don't  you  ?  " 

"  I  never  thought  of  it  from  that  point  of  view," 
admitted  the  billionaire.  "  Really,"  he  added,  "  you're 
an  extraordinary  girl.  Why,  you  can't  be  more  than 
twenty — or  so." 

"  I'm  twenty-four — or  so,"  smiled  Shirley. 

Ryder's  face  expanded  in  a  broad  smile.  He  ad 
mired  this  girl's  pluck  and  ready  wit.  He  grew  more 
amiable  and  tried  to  gain  her  confidence.  In  a  coaxing 
tone  he  said : 

"  Come,  where  did  you  get  those  details  ?  Take  me 
into  your  confidence." 

"  I  have  taken  you  into  my  confidence,"  laughed 
Shirley,  pointing  at  her  book.  "It  cost  you  $1.50!" 
Turning  over  the  papers  he  had  put  before  her  she 
said  presently :  "  I  don't  know  about  this." 

"  You  don't  think  my  life  would  make  good  read 
ing?  "  he  asked  with  some  asperity. 

"  It  might,"  she  replied  slowly,  as  if  unwilling  to 
commit  herself  as  to  its  commercial  or  literary  value. 
Then  she  said  frankly :  "  To  tell  you  the  honest  truth, 
I  don't  consider  mere  genius  in  money-making  is  sufii- 

286 


THE   MOUSE 

cient  provocation  for  rushing  into  print.     You  see, 
unless  you  come  to  a  bad  end,  it  would  have  no  moral." 

Ignoring  the  not  very  flattering  insinuation  con 
tained  in  this  last  speech,  the  plutocrat  continued  to 
urge  her: 

"  You  can  name  your  own  price  if  you  will  do  the 
work/'  he  said.  "  Two,  three  or  even  five  thousand 
dollars.  It's  only  a  few  months'  work." 

"  Five  thousand  dollars  ?  "  echoed  Shirley.  "  That's 
a  lot  of  money."  Smiling,  she  added :  "  It  appeals  to 
my  commercial  sense.  But  I'm  afraid  the  subject  does 
not  arouse  my  enthusiasm  from  an  artistic  standpoint." 

Ryder  seemed  amused  at  the  idea  of  any  one  hesi 
tating  to  make  five  thousand  dollars.  He  knew  that 
writers  do  not  run  across  such  opportunities  everyday. 

"  Upon  my  word,"  he  said,  "  I  don't  know  why  I'm 
so  anxious  to  get  you  to  do  the  work.  I  suppose  it's 
because  you  don't  want  to.  You  remind  me  of  my 
son.  Ah,  he's  a  problem !  " 

Shirley  started  involuntarily  when  Ryder  mentioned 
his  son.  But  he  did  not  notice  it. 

"  Why,  is  he  wild  ?  "  she  asked,  as  if  only  mildly 
interested. 

"  Oh,  no,  I  wish  he  were,"  said  Ryder. 

"  Fallen  in  love  with  the  wrong  woman,  I  suppose," 
she  said. 

287 


THE   LION  & 

"Something  of  the  sort — how  did  you  guess?" 
asked  Ryder  surprised. 

Shirley  coughed  to  hide  her  embarrassment  and  re 
plied  indifferently. 

"  So  many  boys  do  that.  Besides,"  she  added  with 
a  mischievous  twinkle  in  her  eyes,  "  I  can  hardly  im 
agine  that  any  woman  would  be  the  right  one  unless 
you  selected  her  yourself !  " 

Ryder  made  no  answer.  He  folded  his  arms  and 
gazed  at  her.  Who  was  this  woman  who  knew  him 
so  well,  who  could  read  his  inmost  thoughts,  who 
never  made  a  mistake  ?  After  a  silence  he  said : 

"  Do  you  know  you  say  the  strangest  things  ?  " 

"  Truth  is  strange,"  replied  Shirley  carelessly.  "  I 
don't  suppose  you  hear  it  very  often." 

"  Not  in  that  form,"  admitted  Ryder. 

Shirley  had  taken  on  to  her  lap  some  of  the  letters 
he  had  passed  her,  and  was  perusing  them  one  after 
another. 

"  All  these  letters  from  Washington  consulting  you 
on  politics  and  finance — they  won't  interest  the  world." 

"  My  secretary  picked  them  out,"  explained  Ryder. 
"  Your  artistic  sense  will  tell  you  what  to  use." 

"Does  your  son  still  love  this  girl?  I  mean  the  one 
you  abject  to?  "  inquired  Shirley  as  she  went  on  sort 
ing  the  papers. 

288 


THE   MOUSE 

"  Oh,  no,  he  does  not  care  for  her  any  more,"  an 
swered  Ryder  hastily. 

"  Yes,  he  does ;  he  still  loves  her,"  said  Shirley  posi 
tively. 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  "  asked  Ryder  amazed. 

"  From  the  way  you  say  he  doesn't,"  retorted 
Shirley. 

Ryder  gave  his  caller  a  look  in  which  admiration 
was  mingled  with  astonishment. 

"You  are  right  again,"  he  said.  "  The  idiot  does 
love  the  girl." 

"  Bless  his  heart,"  said  Shirley  to  herself.  Aloud 
she  said: 

"  I  hope  they'll  both  outwit  you." 

Ryder  laughed  in  spite  of  himself.  This  young 
woman  certainly  interested  him  more  than  any  other 
he  had  ever  known. 

"  I  don't  think  I  ever  met  anyone  in  my  life  quite 
like  you,"  he  said. 

"What's  the  objection  to  the  girl?"  demanded 
Shirley. 

"  Every  objection.  I  don't  want  her  in  my  family." 

"  Anything  against  her  character  ?  " 

To  better  conceal  the  keen  interest  she  took  in  the 
personal  turn  the  conversation  had  taken,  Shirley  pre 
tended  to  be  more  busy  than  ever  with  the  papers. 

289 


THE   LION  & 

"Yes — that  is  no — not  that  I  know  of,"  replied 
Ryder.  "  But  because  a  woman  has  a  good  character, 
that  doesn't  necessarily  make  her  a  desirable  match, 
does  it?" 

"  It's  a  point  in  her  favor,  isn't  it?  " 

"  Yes — but "  He  hesitated  as  if  uncertain  what 

to  say. 

"  You  know  men  well,  don't  you,  Mr.  Ryder  ?  " 

"  I've  met  enough  to  know  them  pretty  well,"  he 
replied. 

"  Why  don't  you  study  women  for  a  change  ?  "  she 
asked.  "  That  would  enable  you  to  understand  a  great 
many  things  that  I  don't  think  are  quite  clear  to  you 
now." 

Ryder  laughed  good  humouredly.  It  was  decidedly 
a  novel  sensation  to  have  someone  lecturing  him. 

"  I'm  studying  you,"  he  said,  "  but  I  don't  seem  to 
make  much  headway.  A  woman  like  you  whose 
mind  isn't  spoiled  by  the  amusement  habit  has  great 
possibilities — great  possibilities.  Do  you  know  you're 
the  first  woman  I  ever  took  into  my  confidence — I 
mean  at  sight  ?  "  Again  he  fixed  her  with  that  keen 
glance  which  in  his  business  life  had  taught  him 
how  to  read  men.  He  continued :  "  I'm  acting  on  sen 
timent — something  I  rarely  do,  but  I  can't  help  it.  I 

290 


THE   MOUSE 

like  you,  upon  my  soul  I  do,  and  I'm  going  to  intro 
duce  you  to  my  wife — my  son " 

He  took  the  telephone  from  his  desk  as  if  he  were 
going  to  use  it. 

"  What  a  commander-in-chief  you  would  have  made 
— how  natural  it  is  for  you  to  command,"  exclaimed 
Shirley  in  a  burst  of  admiration  that  was  half  real, 
half  mocking.  "  I  suppose  you  always  tell  people  what 
they  are  to  do  and  how  they  are  to  do  it.  You  are 
a  born  general.  You  know  I've  often  thought  that 
Napoleon  and  Caesar  and  Alexander  must  have  been 
great  domestic  leaders  as  well  as  imperial  rulers.  I'm 
sure  of  it  now." 

Ryder  listened  to  her  in  amazement.  He  was  not 
quite  sure  if  she  were  making  fun  of  him  or  not. 

"  Well,  of  all — "  he  began.  Then  interrupting  him 
self  he  said  amiably :  "  Won't  you  do  me  the  honour 
to  meet  my  family  ?  " 

Shirley  smiled  sweetly  and  bowed. 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Ryder,  I  will." 

She  rose  from  her  seat  and  leaned  over  the  manu 
scripts  to  conceal  the  satisfaction  this  promise  of  an 
introduction  to  the  family  circle  gave  her.  She  was 
quick  to  see  that  it  meant  more  visits  to  the  house,  and 
other  and  perhaps  better  opportunities  to  find  the  ob 
jects  of  her  search.  Ryder  lifted  the  receiver  of  his 

291 


THE   LION  & 

telephone  and  talked  to  his  secretary  in  another  room, 
while  Shirley,  who  was  still  standing,  continued  ex 
amining  the  papers  and  letters. 

"Is  that  you,  Bagley?  What's  that?  General 
Dodge?  Get  rid  of  him.  I  can't  see  him  to-day. 
Tell  him  to  come  to-morrow.  What's  that?  My  son 
wants  to  see  me?  Tell  him  to  come  to  the  phone." 

At  that  instant  Shirley  gave  a  little  cry,  which  in 
vain  she  tried  to  suppress.  Ryder  looked  up. 

"What's  the  matter?"  he  demanded  startled. 

"  Nothing — nothing !  "  she  replied  in  a  hoarse  whis 
per.  "  I  pricked  myself  with  a  pin.  Don't  mind  me." 

She  had  just  come  across  her  father's  missing  let 
ters,  which  had  got  mixed  up,  evidently  without 
Ryder's  knowledge,  in  the  mass  of  papers  he  had 
handed  her.  Prepared  as  she  was  to  find  the  letters 
somewhere  in  the  house,  she  never  dreamed  that  fate 
would  put  them  so  easily  and  so  quickly  into  her 
hands ;  the  suddenness  of  their  appearance  and  the 
sight  of  her  father's  familiar  signature  affected  her 
almost  like  a  shock.  Now  she  had  them,  she  must  not 
let  them  go  again;  yet  how  could  she  keep  them  un 
observed?  Could  she  conceal  them?  Would  he  miss 
them?  She  tried  to  slip  them  in  her  bosom  while 
Ryder  was  busy  at  the  'phone,  but  he  suddenly  glanced 
in  her  direction  and  caught  her  eye.  She  still  held  the 

292 


THE   MOUSE 

letters  in  her  hand,  which  shook  from  nervousness, 
but  he  noticed  nothing  and  went  on  speaking  through 
the  'phone : 

"Hallo,  Jefferson,  boy !  You  want  to  see  me.  Can 
you  wait  till  I'm  through?  I've  got  a  lady  here. 
Going  away  ?  Nonsense !  Determined,  eh  ?  Well,  I 
can't  keep  you  here  if  you've  made  up  your  mind. 
You  want  to  say  good-bye.  Come  up  in  about  five 
minutes  and  I'll  introduce  you  to  a  very  interesting 
person," 

He  laughed  and  hung  up  the  receiver.  Shirley  was 
all  unstrung,  trying  to  overcome  the  emotion  which 
her  discovery  had  caused  her,  and  in  a  strangely  al 
tered  voice,  the  result  of  the  nervous  strain  she  was 
under,  she  said : 

"  You  want  me  to  come  here  ?  " 

She  looked  up  from  the  letters  she  was  reading 
across  to  Ryder,  who  was  standing  watching  her  on 
the  other  side  of  the  desk.  He  caught  her  glance  and, 
leaning  over  to  take  some  manuscript,  he  said : 

"  Yes,  I  don't  want  these  papers  to  get " 

His  eye  suddenly  rested  on  the  letters  she  was  hold 
ing.  He  stopped  short,  and  reaching  forward  he  tried 
to  snatch  them  from  her. 

"  What  have  you  got  there  ?  "  he  exclaimed. 

He  took  the  letters  and  she  made  no  resistance.    It 


THE   LION  & 

would  be  folly  to  force  the  issue  now,  she  thought. 
Another  opportunity  would  present  itself.  Ryder 
locked  the  letters  up  very  carefully  in  the  drawer  on 
the  left-hand  side  of  his  desk,  muttering  to  himself 
rather  than  speaking  to  Shirley: 

"  How  on  earth  did  they  get  among  my  other  pa 
pers?" 

"From  Judge  Rossmore,  were  they  not?"  said 
Shirley  boldly. 

"  How  did  you  know  it  was  Judge  Rossmore  ? " 
demanded  Ryder  suspiciously.  "  I  didn't  know  that 
his  name  had  been  mentioned." 

"  I  saw  his  signature,"  she  said  simply.  Then  she 
added :  "  He's  the  father  of  the  girl  you  don't  like, 
isn't  he?" 

"  Yes,  he's  the " 

A  cloud  came  over  the  financier's  face;  his  eyes 
darkened,  his  jaws  snapped  and  he  clenched  his  fist. 

"  How  you  must  hate  him !  "  said  Shirley,  who  ob 
served  the  change. 

"  Not  at  all,"  replied  Ryder  recovering  his  self- 
possession  and  suavity  of  manner.  "  I  disagree  with 
his  politics  and  his  methods,  but — I  know  very  little 
about  him  except  that  he  is  about  to  be  removed  from 
office." 

"About  to  be?"  echoed  Shirley.  "So  his  fate  is 
294 


THE    MOUSE 

decided  even  before  he  is  tried  ?  "  The  girl  laughed 
bitterly.  "  Yes,"  she  went  on,  "  some  of  the  news 
papers  are  beginning  to  think  he  is  innocent  of  the 
things  of  which  he  is  accused." 

"Do  they?"  said  Ryder  indifferently. 

"  Yes,"  she  persisted,  "  most  people  are  on  his 
side." 

She  planted  her  elbows  on  the  desk  in  front  of  her, 
and  looking  him  squarely  in  the  face,  she  asked  him 
point  blank : 

"Whose  side  are  you  on — really  and  truly?" 

Ryder  winced.  What  right  had  this  woman,  a 
stranger  both  to  Judge  Rossmore  and  himself,  to  come 
here  and  catechise  him?  He  restrained  his  impatience 
with  difficulty  as  he  replied : 

"Whose  side  am  I  on?  Oh,  I  don't  know  that  I 
am  on  any  side.  I  don't  know  that  I  give  it  much 
thought.  I— 

"  Do  you  think  this  man  deserves  to  be  punished  ?  " 
she  demanded. 

She  had  resumed  her  seat  at  the  desk  and  partly 
regained  her  self-possession. 

"Why  do  you  ask?  What  is  your  interest  in  this 
matter?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  she  replied  evasively ;  "  his  case 
interests  me,  that's  all.  Its  rather  romantic.  Your 

295 


THE    LION   & 

son  loves  this  man's  daughter.  He  is  in  disgrace- 
many  seem  to  think  unjustly."  Her  voice  trembled 
with  emotion  as  she  continued :  "  I  have  heard  from 
one  source  or  another— you  know  I  am  acquainted 
with  a  number  of  newspaper  men— I  have  heard  that 
life  no  longer  has  any  interest  for  him,  that  he  is  not 
only  disgraced  but  beggared,  that  he  is  pining  away 
slowly,  dying  of  a  broken  heart,  that  his  wife  and 
daughter  are  in  despair.  Tell  me,  do  you  think  he 
deserves  such  a  fate  ?  " 

Ryder  remained  thoughtful  a  moment,  and  then  he 
replied  : 

"  No,  I  do  not— no " 

Thinking  that  she  had  touched  his  sympathies,  Shir 
ley  followed  up  her  advantage: 

"Oh,  then,  why  not  come  to  his  rescue — you,  who 
are  so  rich,  so  powerful ;  you,  who  can  move  the  scales 
of  justice  at  your  will— save  this  man  from  humilia 
tion  and  disgrace !  " 

Ryder  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  his  face  expressed 
weariness,  as  if  the  subject  had  begun  to  bore  him. 

"  My  dear  girl,  you  don't  understand.  His  removal 
is  necessary." 

Shirley's  face  became  set  and  hard.     There  was  a 
contemptuous  ring  to  her  words  as  she  retorted: 
"  Yet  you  admit  that  he  may  be  innocent !  " 
296 


THE   MOUSE 

"  Even  if  I  knew  it  as  a  fact,  I  couldn't  move." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  if  you  had  positive 
proof?  "  She  pointed  to  the  drawer  in  the  desk  where 
he  had  placed  the  letters.  M  If  you  had  absolute  proof 
in  that  drawer,  for  instance  ?  Wouldn't  you  help  him 
then?" 

Ryder's  face  grew  cold  and  inscrutable;  he  now 
wore  his  fighting  mask. 

"  Not  even  if  I  had  the  absolute  proof  in  that 
drawer?"  he  snapped  viciously. 

"Have  you  absolute  proof  in  that  drawer?"  she 
demanded. 

"  I  repeat  that  even  if  I  had,  I  could  not  expose  the 
men  who  have  been  my  friends.  Its  noblesse  oblige 
in  politics  as  well  as  in  society,  you  know." 

He  smiled  again  at  her,  as  if  he  had  recovered  his 
good  humour  after  their  sharp  passage  at  arms. 

"  Oh,  it's  politics — that's  what  the  papers  said.  And 
you  believe  him  innocent.  Well,  you  must  have  some 
grounds  for  your  belief." 

"  Not  necessarily 

"  You  said  that  even  if  you  had  the  proofs,  you 
could  not  produce  them  without  sacrificing  your 
friends,  showing  that  your  friends  are  interested  in 
having  this  man  put  off  the  bench —  She  stopped 
and  burst  into  hysterical  laughter.  "  Oh,  I  think  you're 


THE   LION  & 

having  a  joke  at  my  expense,"  she  went  on,  "  just  to 
see  how  far  you  can  lead  me.  I  daresay  Judge  Ross- 
more  deserves  all  he  gets.  Oh,  yes — I'm  sure  he  de 
serves  it."  She  rose  and  walked  to  the  other  side  of 
the  room  to  conceal  her  emotion. 

Ryder  watched  her  curiously. 

"  My  dear  young  lady,  how  you  take  this  matter  to 
heart!" 

"  Please  forgive  me,"  laughed  Shirley,  and  averting 
her  face  to  conceal  the  fact  that  her  eyes  were  rilled 
with  tears.  "  It's  my  artistic  temperament,  I  suppose. 
It's  always  getting  me  into  trouble.  It  appealed  so 
strongly  to  my  sympathies — this  story  of  hopeless  love 
between  two  young  people — with  the  father  of  the 
girl  hounded  by  corrupt  politicians  and  unscrupulous 
financiers.  It  was  too  much  for  me.  Ah !  ah !  I  forgot 
where  I  was !  " 

She  leaned  against  a  chair,  sick  and  faint  from 
nervousness,  her  whole  body  trembling.  At  that  mo 
ment  there  was  a  knock  at  the  library  door  and  Jeffer 
son  Ryder  appeared.  Not  seeing  Shirley,  whose  back 
was  towards  him,  he  advanced  to  greet  his  father. 

"  You  told  me  to  come  up  in  five  minutes,"  he  said. 
"  I  just  wanted  to  say " 

"  Miss  Green,"  said  Ryder,  Sr.,  addressing  Shirley 
and  ignoring  whatever  it  was  that  the  young  man 

298 


THE   MOUSE 

wanted  to  say,  "  this  is  my  son  Jefferson.  Jeff — this  is 
Miss  Green." 

Jefferson  looked  in  the  direction  indicated  and 
stood  as  if  rooted  to  the  floor.  He  was  so  surprised 
that  he  was  struck  dumb.  Finally,  recovering  himself, 
he  exclaimed : 

"  Shirley !  " 

"  Yes,  Shirley.  Green,  the  author,"  explained  Ryder, 
Sr.,  not  noticing  the  note  of  familiar  recognition  in  his 
exclamation. 

Shirley  advanced,  and  holding  out  her  hand  to  Jef 
ferson,  said  demurely: 

"  I  am  very  pleased  to  meet  you,  Mr.  Ryder." 
Then  quickly,  in  an  undertone,  she  added :  "  Be  care 
ful  ;  don't  betray  me !  " 

Jefferson  was  so  astounded  that  he  did  not  see  the 
outstretched  hand.  All  he  could  do  was  to  stand  and 
stare  first  at  her  and  then  at  his  father. 

"  Why  don't  you  shake  hands  with  her  ?  "  said  Ryder, 
Sr.  "  She  won't  bite  you."  Then  he  added :  "  Miss 
Green  is  going  to  do  some  literary  work  for  me,  so  we 
shall  see  a  great  deal  of  her.  It's  too  bad  you're  going 
away !  "  He  chuckled  at  his  own  pleasantry. 

"  Father !  "  blurted  out  Jefferson,  "  I  came  to  say 
that  I've  changed  my  mind.  You  did  not  want  me  to 
go,  and  I  feel  I  ought  to  do  something  to  please  you." 

299 


THE    LION   & 

"  Good  boy,"  said  Ryder  pleased.  "  Now  you're 
talking  common  sense."  He  turned  to  Shirley,  who 
was  getting  ready  to  make  her  departure :  "  Well,  Miss 
Green,  we  may  consider  the  matter  settled.  You  un 
dertake  the  work  at  the  price  I  named  and  finish  it 
as  soon  as  you  can.  Of  course,  you  will  have  to  con 
sult  me  a  good  deal  as  you  go  along,  so  I  think  it 
would  be  better  for  you  to  come  and  stay  here  while 
the  work  is  progressing.  Mrs.  Ryder  can  give  you  a 
suite  of  rooms  to  yourself,  where  you  will  be  undis 
turbed  and  you  will  have  all  your  material  close  at 
hand.  What  do  you  say  ?  " 

Shirley  was  silent  for  a  moment.  She  looked  first 
at  Ryder  and  then  at  his  son,  and  from  them  her  glance 
went  to  the  little  drawer  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the 
desk.  Then  she  said  quietly: 

"  As  you  think  best,  Mr.  Ryder.  I  am  quite  willing 
to  do  the  work  here." 

Ryder,  Sr.,  escorted  her  to  the  top  of  the  landing 
and  watched  her  as  she  passed  down  the  grand  stair 
case,  ushered  by  the  gorgeously  uniformed  flunkies,  to 
the  front  door  and  the  street. 


300 


THE   MOUSE 


CHAPTER   XIII 

SHIRLEY  entered  upon  her  new  duties  in  the 
Ryder  household  two  days  later.  She  had  re 
turned  to  her  rooms  the  evening  of  her 
meeting  with  the  financier  in  a  state  bordering 
upon  hysteria.  The  day's  events  had  been  so 
extraordinary  that  it  seemed  to  her  they  could 
not  be  real,  and  that  she  must  be  in  a  dream. 
The  car  ride  to  Seventy-fourth  Street,  the  inter 
view  in  the  library,  the  discovery  of  her  father's 
letters,  the  offer  to  write  the  biography,  and,  what 
to  her  was  still  more  important,  the  invitation  to  go 
and  live  in  the  Ryder  home — all  these  incidents  were 
so  remarkable  and  unusual  that  it  was  only  with 
difficulty  that  the  girl  persuaded  herself  that  they 
were  not  figments  of  a  disordered  brain. 

But  it  was  all  true  enough.  The  next  morning's 
mail  brought  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Ryder,  who  wrote 
to  the  effect  that  Mr.  Ryder  would  like  the  work 
to  begin  at  once,  and  adding  that  a  suite  of  rooms 
would  be  ready  for  her  the  following  afternoon. 
Shirley  did  not  hesitate.  Everything  was  to  be  gained 

301 


THE   LION  & 

by  making  the  Ryder  residence  her  headquarters, 
her  father's  very  life  depended  upon  the  successful 
outcome  of  her  present  mission,  and  this  unhoped 
for  ©pportunity  practically  ensured  success.  She  im 
mediately  wrote  to  Massapequa.  One  letter  was  to 
her  mother,  saying  that  she  was  extending  her  visit 
beyond  the  time  originally  planned.  The  other  letter 
was  to  Stott.  She  told  him  all  about  the  interview 
with  Ryder,  informed  him  of  the  discovery  of  the 
letters,  and  after  explaining  the  nature  of  the  work 
offered  to  her,  said  that  her  address  for  the  next 
few  weeks  would  be  in  care  of  John  Burkett  Ryder. 
All  was  going  better  than  she  had  dared  to  hope. 
Everything  seemed  to  favour  their  plan.  Her  first 
step,  of  course,  while  in  the  Ryder  home,  would  be 
to  secure  possession  of  her  father's  letters,  and  these 
she  would  dispatch  at  once  to  Massapequa,  so  they 
could  be  laid  before  the  Senate  without  delay. 

So,  after  settling  accounts  with  her  landlady  and 
packing  up  her  few  belongings,  Shirley  lost  no  time 
in  transferring  herself  to  the  more  luxurious  quarters 
provided  for  her  in  the  ten-million-dollar  mansion 
uptown. 

At  the  Ryder  house  she  was  received  cordially  and 
with  every  mark  of  consideration.  The  housekeeper 
came  down  to  the  main  hall  to  greet  her  when  she 

302 


THE   MOUSE 

arrived  and  escorted  her  to  the  suite  of  rooms,  com 
prising  a  small  working  library,  a  bedroom  simply 
but  daintily  furnished  in  pink  and  white  and  a  private 
bathroom,  which  had  been  specially  prepared  for  her 
convenience  and  comfort,  and  here  presently  she  was 
joined  by  Mrs.  Ryder. 

"  Dear  me,"  exclaimed  the  financier's  wife,  staring 
curiously  at  Shirley,  "  what  a  young  girl  you  are  to 
have  made  such  a  stir  with  a  book!  How  did  you 
do  it?  I'm  sure  I  couldn't.  It's  as  much  as  I  can 
do  to  write  a  letter,  and  half  the  time  that's  not 
legible." 

"Oh,  it  wasn't  so  hard,"  laughed  Shirley.  "It 
was  the  subject  that  appealed  rather  than  any  special 
skill  of  mine.  The  trusts  and  their  misdeeds  are 
the  favourite  topics  of  the  hour.  The  whole  country 
is  talking  about  nothing  else.  My  book  came  at 
the  right  time,  that's  all." 

Although  "  The  American  Octopus  "  was  a  direct 
attack  on  her  own  husband,  Mrs.  Ryder  secretly  ad 
mired  this  young  woman,  who  had  dared  to  speak 
a  few  blunt  truths.  It  was  a  courage  which,  alas !  she 
had  always  lacked  herself,  but  there  was  a  certain 
satisfaction  in  knowing  there  were  women  in  the 
world  not  entirely  cowed  by  the  tyrant  Man. 

"  I  have  always  wanted  a  daughter,"  went  on  Mrs. 
303 


THE    LION  & 

Ryder,  becoming  confidential,  while  Shirley  removed 
her  things  and  made  herself  at  home ;  "  girls  of  your 
age  are  so  companionable."  Then,  abruptly,  she 
asked:  "Do  your  parents  live  in  New  York?" 

Shirley's  face  flushed  and  she  stooped  over  her 
trunk  to  hide  her  embarrassment. 

"  No — not  at  present,"  she  answered  evasively. 
"  My  mother  and  father  are  in  the  country." 

She  was  afraid  that  more  questions  of  a  personal 
nature  would  follow,  but  apparently  Mrs.  Ryder  was 
not  in  an  inquisitive  mood,  for  she  asked  nothing  fur 
ther.  She  only  said : 

"  I  have  a  son,  but  I  don't  see  much  of  him.  You 
must  meet  my  Jefferson.  He  is  such  a  nice  boy." 

Shirley  tried  to  look  unconcerned  as  she  replied: 

"  I  met  him  yesterday.  Mr.  Ryder  introduced  him 
to  me." 

"  Poor  lad,  he  has  his  troubles  too,"  went  on  Mrs. 
Ryder.  "  He's  in  love  with  a  girl,  but  his  father 
wants  him  to  marry  someone  else.  They're  quarrelling 
over  it  all  the  time." 

"  Parents  shouldn't  interfere  in  matters  of  the 
heart,"  said  Shirley  decisively."  What  is  more  se 
rious  than  the  choosing  of  a  life  companion,  and  who 
are  better  entitled  to  make  a  free  selection  than  they 
w,ho  are  going  to  spend  the  rest  of  their  days  together  ? 

304 


THE  MOUSE 

Of  course,  it  is  a  father's  duty  to  give  his  son  the 
benefit  of  his  riper  experience,  but  to  insist  on  a 
marriage  based  only  on  business  interests  is  little  less 
than  a  crime.  There  are  considerations  more  impor 
tant  if  the  union  is  to  be  a  happy  or  a  lasting  one. 
The  chief  thing  is  that  the  man  should  feel  real  at 
tachment  for  the  woman  he  marries.  Two  people 
who  are  to  live  together  as  man  and  wife  must  be 
compatible  in  tastes  and  temper.  You  cannot  mix  oil 
and  water.  It  is  these  selfish  marriages  which  keep 
our  divorce  courts  busy.  Money  alone  won't  buy  hap 
piness  in  marriage." 

"  No,"  sighed  Mrs.  Ryder,  "  no  one  knows  that 
better  than  I." 

The  financier's  wife  was  already  most  favourably  im 
pressed  with  her  guest,  and  she  chatted  on  as  if  she  had 
known  Shirley  for  years.  It  was  rarely  that  she  had 
heard  so  young  a  woman  express  such  common-sense 
views,  and  the  more  she  talked  with  her  the  less 
surprised  she  was  that  she  was  the  author  of  a  much- 
discussed  book.  Finally,  thinking  that  Shirley  might 
prefer  to  be  alone,  she  rose  to  go,  bidding  her  make 
herself  thoroughly  at  home  and  to  ring  for  anything 
she  might  wish.  A  maid  had  been  assigned  to 
look  exclusively  after  her  wants,  and  she  could  have 
her  meals  served  in  her  room  or  else  have  them 

305 


THE   LION  & 

with  the  family  as  she  liked.  But  Shirley,  not  caring 
to  encounter  Mr.  Ryder's  cold,  searching  stare  more 
often  than  necessary,  said  she  would  prefer  to  take 
her  meals  alone. 

Left  to  herself,  Shirley  settled  down  to  work  in 
earnest.  Mr.  Ryder  had  sent  to  her  room  all  the 
material  for  the  biography,  and  soon  she  was  com- 
pletely  absorbed  in  the  task  of  sorting  and  arranging 
letters,  making  extracts  from  records,  compiling  data, 
etc.,  laying  the  foundations  for  the  important  book 
she  was  to  write.  She  wondered  what  they  would  call 
it,  and  she  smiled  as  a  peculiarly  appropriate  title 
flashed  through  her  mind — "  The  History  of  a  Crime." 
Yet  she  thought  they  could  hardly  infringe  on 
Victor  Hugo;  perhaps  the  best  title  was  the  simplest 
"  The  History  of  the  Empire  Trading  Company." 
Everyone  would  understand  that  it  told  the  story  of 
John  Burkett  Ryder's  remarkable  career  from  his 
earliest  beginnings  to  the  present  time.  She  worked 
feverishly  all  that  evening  getting  the  material  into 
shape,  and  the  following  day  found  her  early  at  her 
desk.  No  one  disturbed  her  and  she  wrote  steadily 
on  until  noon,  Mrs.  Ryder  only  once  putting  her 
head  in  the  door  to  wish  her  good  morning. 

After  luncheon,  Shirley  decided  that  the  weather 
was  too  glorious  to  remain  indoors.  Her  health  must 

306 


THE   MOUSE 

not  be  jeopardized  even  to  advance  the  interests  of 
the  Colossus,  so  she  put  on  her  hat  and  left  the  house 
to  go  for  a  walk.  The  air  smelled  sweet  to  her  after 
being  confined  so  long  indoor,  and  she  walked  with  a 
more  elastic  and  buoyant  step  than  she  had  since 
her  return  home.  Turning  down  Fifth  Avenue,  she 
entered  the  park  at  Seventy-second  Street,  following 
the  pathway  until  she  came  to  the  bend  in  the  drive 
way  opposite  the  Casino.  The  park  was  almost  de 
serted  at  that  hour,  and  there  was  a  delightful  sense 
of  solitude  and  a  sweet  scent  of  new-mown  hay  from 
the  freshly  cut  lawns.  She  found  an  empty  bench, 
well  shaded  by  an  overspreading  tree,  and  she  sat 
down,  grateful  for  the  rest  and  quiet. 

She  wondered  what  Jefferson  thought  of  her  action 
in  coming  to  his  father's  house  practically  in  disguise 
and  under  an  assumed  name.  She  must  see  him  at 
once,  for  in  him  lay  her  hope  of  obtaining  possession 
of  the  letters.  Certainly  she  felt  no  delicacy  or 
compunction  in  asking  Jefferson  to  do  her  this  service. 
The  letters  belonged  to  her  father  and  they  were 
being  wrongfully  withheld  with  the  deliberate  purpose 
of  doing  him  an  injury.  She  had  a  moral  if  not  a 
legal  right  to  recover  the  letters  in  any  way  that  she 
could. 

She  was  so  deeply  engrossed  in  her  thoughts  that 
307 


THE  LlOti  & 

she  had  not  noticed  a  hansom  cab  which  suddenly 
drew  up  with  a  jerk  at  the  curb  opposite  her  bench. 
A  man  jumped  out.  It  was  Jefferson. 

"  Hello,  Shirley,"  he  cried  gaily ;  "  who  would  have 
expected  to  find  you  rusticating  on  a  bench  here?  I 
pictured  you  grinding  away  at  home  doing  literary 
stunts  for  the  governor."  He  grinned  and  then  added; 
"  Come  for  a  drive.  I  want  to  talk  to  you." 

Shirley  demurred.  No,  she  could  not  spare  the  time. 
Yet,  she  thought  to  herself,  why  was  not  this  a  good 
opportunity  to  explain  to  Jefferson  how  he  came  to 
find  her  in  his  father's  library  masquerading  under 
another  name,  and  also  to  ask  him  to  secure  the  letters 
for  her?  While  she  pondered  Jefferson  insisted,  and 
a  few  minutes  later  she  found  herself  sitting  beside 
him  in  the  cab.  They  started  off  at  a  brisk  pace, 
Shirley  sitting  with  her  head  back,  enjoying  the 
strong  breeze  caused  by  the  rapid  motion. 

"  Now  tell  me,"  he  said,  "  what  does  it  all  mean  ? 
I  was  so  startled  at  seeing  you  in  the  library  the 
other  day  that  I  almost  betrayed  you.  How  did  you 
come  to  call  on  father?  " 

Briefly  Shirley  explained  everything.  She  told 
him  how  Mr.  Ryder  had  written  to  her  asking  her  to 
call  and  see  him,  and  how  she  had  eagerly  seized  at 
this  last  straw  in  the  hope  of  helping  her  father, 

308 


THE   MOUSE 

She  told  him  about  the  letters,  explaining  how  neces 
sary  they  were  for  her  father's  defence  and  how  she 
had  discovered  them.  Mr.  Ryder,  she  said,  had  seemed 
to  take  a  fancy  to  her  and  had  asked  her  to  remain 
in  the  house  as  his  guest  while  she  was  compiling 
his  biography,  and  she  had  accepted  the  offer,  not 
so  much  for  the  amount  of  money  involved  as  for 
the  splendid  opportunity  it  afforded  her  to  gain 
possession  of  the  letters. 

"  So  that  is  the  mysterious  work  you  spoke  of — to 
get  those  letters  ?  "  said  Jefferson. 

"  Yes,  that  is  my  mission.  It  was  a  secret.  I 
couldn't  tell  you ;  I  couldn't  tell  anyone.  Only  Judge 
Stott  knows.  He  is  aware  I  have  found  them  and 
is  hourly  expecting  to  receive  them  from  me.  And 
now,"  she  said,  "  I  want  your  help." 

His  only  answer  was  to  grasp  tighter  the  hand 
she  had  laid  in  his.  She  knew  that  she  would  not 
have  to  explain  the  nature  of  the  service  she  wanted. 
He  understood. 

"  Where  are  the  letters  ?  "  he  demanded. 

"  In  the  left-hand  drawer  of  your  father's  desk," 
she  answered. 

He  was  silent  for  a  few  moments,  and  then  he  said 
simply : 

"  I  will  get  them." 

3°9 


THE   LION  & 

The  cab  by  this  time  had  got  as  far  as  Claremont, 
and  from  the  hill  summit  they  had  a  splendid  view 
of  the  broad  sweep  of  the  majestic  Hudson  and  the 
towering  walls  of  the  blue  palisades.  The  day  was 
so  beautiful  and  the  air  so  invigorating  that  Jefferson 
suggested  a  ramble  along  the  banks  of  the  river. 
They  could  leave  the  cab  at  Claremont  and  drive  back 
to  the  city  later.  Shirley  was  too  grateful  to  him 
for  his  promise  of  cooperation  to  make  any  further 
opposition,  and  soon  they  were  far  away  from 
beaten  highways,  down  on  the  banks  of  the  historic 
stream,  picking  flowers  and  laughing  merrily  like  two 
truant  children  bent  on  a  self-made  holiday.  The 
place  they  had  reached  was  just  outside  the  northern 
boundaries  of  Harlem,  a  sylvan  spot  still  un 
spoiled  by  the  rude  invasion  of  the  flat-house  builder. 
The  land,  thickly  wooded,  sloped  down  sharply  to 
the  water,  and  the  perfect  quiet  was  broken  only  by 
the  washing  of  the  tiny  surf  against  the  river  bank 
and  the  shrill  notes  of  the  birds  in  the  trees. 

Although  it  was  late  in  October  the  day  was  warm, 
and  Shirley  soon  tired  of  climbing  over  bramble- 
entangled  verdure.  The  rich  grass  underfoot  looked 
cool  and  inviting,  and  the  natural  slope  of  the  ground 
affording  an  ideal  resting-place,  she  sat  there,  with 
Jefferson  stretched  out  at  her  feet,  both  watching 


THE   MOUSE 

idly  the  dancing  waters  of  the  broad  Hudson, 
spangled  with  gleams  of  light,  as  they  swept  swiftly 
by  on  their  journey  to  the  sea. 

"  Shirley/'  said  Jefferson  suddenly,  "  I  suppose 
you  saw  that  ridiculous  story  about  my  alleged  en 
gagement  to  Miss  Roberts.  I  hope  you  understood 
that  it  was  done  without  my  consent." 

"  If  I  did  not  guess  it,  Jeff,"  she  answered,  "  your 
assurance  would  be  sufficient.  Besides,"  she  added, 
"what  right  have  I  to  object?" 

"  But  I  want  you  to  have  the  right,"  he  replied 
earnestly.  "  I'm  going  to  stop  this  Roberts  nonsense 
in  a  way  my  father  hardly  anticipates.  I'm  just 
waiting  a  chance  to  talk  to  him.  I'll  show  'him  the 
absurdity  of  announcing  me  engaged  to  a  girl  who 
is  about  to  elope  with  his  private  secretary !  " 

"  Elope  with  the  secretary  ?  "  exclaimed  Shirley. 

Jefferson  told  her  all  about  the  letter  he  had  found 
on  the  staircase,  and  the  Hon.  Fitzroy  Bagley's  plans 
for  a  runaway  marriage  with  the  senator's  wealthy 
daughter. 

"  It's  a  godsend  to  me,"  he  said  gleefully.  "  Their 
plan  is  to  get  married  next  Wednesday.  I'll  see  my 
father  on  Tuesday ;  I'll  put  the  evidence  in  his  hands, 
and  I  don't  think,"  he  added  grimly,  "he'll  bother 
me  any  more  about  Miss  Roberts." 


THE   LION  & 

"  So  you're  not  going  away  now?"  said  Shirley, 
smilirig  down  at  him. 

He  sat  up  and  leaned  over  towards  her. 

"  I  can't,  Shirley,  I  simply  can't,"  he  replied,  his 
voice  trembling.  "  You  are  more  to  me  than  I 
dreamed  a  woman  could  ever  be.  I  realize  it  more 
forcibly  every  day.  There  is  no  use  fighting  against 
it.  Without  you,  my  work,  my  life  means  nothing." 

Shirley  shook  her  head  and  averted  her  eyes. 

"Don't  let  us  speak  of  that,  Jeff,"  she  pleaded 
gently.  "  I  told  you  I  did  not  belong  to  myself  while 
my  father  was  in  peril." 

"  But  I  must  speak  of  it,"  he  interrupted.  "  Shirley, 
you  do  yourself  an  injustice  as  well  as  me.  You  are 
not  indifferent  to  me — I  feel  that.  Then  why  raise 
this  barrier  between  us  ?  " 

A  soft  light  stole  into  the  girl's  eyes.  Ah,  it  was 
good  to  feel  there  was  someone  to  whom  she  was 
everything  in  the  world ! 

"  Don't  ask  me  to  betray  my  trust,  Jeff,"  she  fal 
tered.  "  You  know  I  am  not  indifferent  to  you — far 
from  it.  But  I— 

He  came  closer  until  his  face  nearly  touched  hers. 

"  I  love  you — I  want  you,"  he  murmured  feverishly. 
"  Giv«  me  the  right  to  claim  you  before  all  the  world 
as  my  future  wife !  " 

312 


THE   MOUSE 

Every  note  of  his  rich,  manly  voice*  vibrating  with 
impetuous  passion,  sounded  in  Shirley's  ear  like  a 
soft  caress.  She  closed  her  eyes.  A  strange  feeling 
of  languor  was  stealing  over  her,  a  mysterious  thrill 
passed  through  her  whole  body.  The  eternal,  inevi 
table  sex  instinct  was  disturbing,  for  the  first  time, 
a  woman  whose  life  had  been  singularly  free  from 
such  influences,  putting  to  flight  all  the  calculations 
and  resolves  her  cooler  judgment  had  made;  The 
sensuous  charm  of  the  place — the  distant  splash  of 
the  water,  the  singing  of  the  birds,  the  fragrance  of 
the  trees  and  grass — all  these  symbols  of  the  joy 
of  life  conspired  to  arouse  the  love-hunger  of  the 
woman.  Why,  after  all,  should  she  not  know  hap 
piness  like  other  women?  She  had  a  sacred  duty  to 
perform,  it  was  true;  but  would  it  be  less  well  done 
because  she  declined  to  stifle  the  natural  leanings  of 
her  womanhood?  Both  her  soul  and  her  body  called 
out :  "  Let  this  man  love  you,  give  yourself  to  him, 
he  is  worthy  of  your  love." 

Half  unconsciously,  she  listened  to  his  ardent  woo 
ing,  her  eyes  shut,  as  he  spoke  quickly,  passionately, 
his  breath  warm  upon  her  cheek : 

"  Shirley,  I  offer  you  all  the  devotion  a  man  can 
give  a  woman.  Say  the  one  word  that  will  make  me 
the  happiest  or  the  most  wretched  of  men.  Yes  or 

313 


THE  LION  & 

no!  Only  think  well  before  you  wreck  my  life.  I 
love  you — I  love  you !  I  will  wait  for  you  if  need  be 
until  the  crack  of  doom.  Say — say  you  will  be  my 
wife !  " 

She  opened  her  eyes.    His  face  was  bent  close  over 
hers.     Their  lips  almost  touched. 

"  Yes,  Jefferson/'  she  murmured,  "  I  do  love  you !  " 
His  lips  met  hers  in  a  long,  passionate  kiss.  Her 
eyes  closed  and  an  ecstatic  thrill  seemed  to  convulse 
her  entire  being.  The  birds  in  the  trees  overhead 
sang  in  more  joyful  chorus  in  celebration  of  the 
betrothal. 


THE   MOUSE 


CHAPTER   XIV 

IT  was  nearly  seven  o'clock  when  Shirley  got 
back  to  Seventy-fourth  Street.  No  one  saw 
her  come  in,  and  she  went  direct  to  her  room, 
and  after  a  hasty  dinner,  worked  until  late  into  the 
night  on  her  book  to  make  up  for  lost  time.  The 
events  of  the  afternoon  caused  her  considerable  un 
easiness.  She  reproached  herself  for  her  weakness 
and  for  having  yielded  so  readily  to  the  impulse  of 
the  moment.  She  had  said  only  what  was  the  truth 
when  she  admitted  she  loved  Jefferson,  but  what  right 
had  she  to  dispose  of  her  future  while  her  father's 
fate  was  still  uncertain?  Her  conscience  troubled  her, 
and  when  she  came  to  reason  it  out  calmly,  the  more 
impossible  seemed  their  union  from  every  point  of 
view.  How  could  she  become  the  daughter-in-law  of 
the  man  who  had  ruined  her  own  father?  The  idea 
was  preposterous,  and  hard  as  the  sacrifice  would 
be,  Jefferson  must  be  made  to  see  it  in  that  light. 
Their  engagement  was  the  greatest  folly;  it  bound 
each  of  them  when  nothing  but  unhappiness  could 

315 


THE   LION  & 

possibly  come  of  it.  She  was  sure  now  that  she  loved 
Jefferson.  It  would  be  hard  to  give  him  up,  but  there 
are  times  and  circumstances  when  duty  and  principle 
must  prevail  over  all  other  considerations,  and  this 
she  felt  was  one  of  them. 

The  following  morning  she  received  a  letter  from 
Stott.  He  was  delighted  to  hear  the  good  news  re 
garding1  her  important  discovery,  and  he  urged  her 
to  lose  no  time  in  securing  the  letters  and  forwarding 
them  to  Massapequa,  when  he  would  immediately 
go  to  Washington  and  lay  them  before  the  Senate. 
Documentary  evidence  of  that  conclusive  nature,  he 
went  oil  to  say,  would  prove  of  the  very  highest  value 
in  clearing  her  father's  name.  He  added  that  the 
judge  and  her  mother  were  as  well  as  circumstances 
would  permit,  and  that  they  were  not  in  the  least  wor 
ried  a^bout  her  protracted  absence.  Her  Aunt  Milly 
had  alfeady  returned  to  Europe,  and  Eudoxia  was  still 
threatening  io  leave  daily. 

Shirley  needed  no  urging.  She  quite  realized  the 
importance  of  acting  quickly,  but  it  was  not  easy  to 
get  at  the  letters.  The  library  was  usually  kept  locked 
when  the  great  mail  was  away,  and  on  the  few  occa 
sions  when  access  to  it  was  possible,  the  lynx-eyed 
Mr.  Bagley  was  always  on  guard.  Short  as  had 
been  her  stay  in  the  Ryder  household,  Shirley  already 


THE  MOUSE 

shared  Jefferson's  antipathy  to  the  English  secretary, 
whose  manner  grew  more  supercilious  and  overbear 
ing  as  he  drew  nearer  the  date  when  he  expected 
to  run  off  with  one  of  the  richest  catches  of  the 
season.  He  had  not  sought  the  acquaintance  of  his 
employer's  biographer  since  her  arrival,  and,  with 
the  exception  of  a  rude  stare,  had  not  deigned  to 
notice  her,  which  attitude  of  haughty  indifference 
was  all  the  more  remarkable  in  view  of  the  fact  that 
the  Hon.  Fitzroy  usually  left  nothing  unturned  to 
cultivate  a  flirtatious  intimacy  with  every  attractive 
female  he  met.  The  truth  was  that  what  with  Mr. 
Ryder's  demands  upon  his  services  and  his  own  prepa 
rations  for  his  coming  matrimonial  venture,  in  which 
he  had  so  much  at  stake,  he  had  neither  time  nor 
inclination  to  indulge  his  customary  amorous  diver 
sions. 

Miss  Roberts  had  called  at  the  house  several  times, 
ostensibly  to  see  Mrs.  Ryder,  and  when  introduced 
to  Shirley  she  had  condescended  to  give  the  latter  a 
supercilious  nod.  Her  conversation  was  generally  of 
the  silly,  vacuous  sort,  concerning  chiefly  new  dresses 
or  bonnets,  and  Shirley  at  once  read  her  character — 
frivolous,  amusement-loving,  empty-headed,  irrespon 
sible — just  the  kind  of  girl  to  do  something  foolish 
without  weighing  the  consequences.  After  chatting 

317 


THE   LION    & 

a  few  moments  with  Mrs.  Ryder  she  would  usually 
vanish,  and  one  day,  after  one  of  these  mysterious  dis 
appearances,  Shirley  happened  to  pass  the  library  and 
caught  sight  of  her  and  Mr.  Bagley  conversing  in 
subdued  and  eager  tones.  It  was  very  evident  that  the 
elopement  scheme  was  fast  maturing.  If  the  scandal 
was  to  be  prevented,  Jefferson  ought  to  see  his  father 
and  acquaint  him  with  the  facts  without  delay.  It 
was  probable  that  at  the  same  time  he  would  make  an 
effort  to  secure  the  letters.  Meantime  she  must  be 
patient.  Too  much  hurry  might  spoil  everything. 

So  the  days  passed,  Shirley  devoting  almost  all  her 
time  to  the  history  she  had  undertaken,  She  saw 
nothing  of  Ryder,  Sr.,  but  a  good  deal  of  his  wife,  to 
whom  she  soon  became  much  attached.  She  found 
her  an  amiable,  good-natured  woman,  entirely  free 
from  that  offensive  arrogance  and  patronizing  conde 
scension  which  usually  marks  the  parvenue  as  distinct 
from  the  thoroughbred.  Mrs.  Ryder  had  no  claims 
to  distinguished  lineage;  on  the  contrary,  she  was  the 
daughter  of  a  country  grocer  when  the  then  rising  oil 
man  married  her,  and  of  educational  advantages  she 
had  had  little  or  none.  It  was  purely  by  accident  that 
she  was  the  wife  of  the  richest  man  in  the  world,  and 
while  she  enjoyed  the  prestige  her  husband's  prom 
inence  gave  her,  she  never  allowed  it  to  turn  her 

318 


THE   MOUSE 

head.  She  gave  away  large  sums  for  charitable  pur 
poses  and,  strange  to  say,  when  the  gift  came  direct 
from  her,  the  money  was  never  returned  on  the  plea 
that  it  was  "  tainted."  She  shared  her  husband's 
dislike  for  entertaining,  and  led  practically  the  life  of 
a  recluse.  The  advent  of  Shirley,  therefore,  into  her 
quiet  and  uneventful  existence  was  as  welcome  as  sun 
shine  when  it  breaks  through  the  clouds  after  days  of 
gloom.  Quite  a  friendship  sprang  up  between  the  two 
women,  and  when  tired  of  writing,  Shirley  would  go 
into  Mrs.  Ryder's  room  and  chat  until  the  financier's 
wife  began  to  look  forward  to  these  little  impromptu 
visits,  so  much  she  enjoyed  them. 

Nothing  more  had  been  said  concerning  Jefferson 
and  Miss  Roberts.  The  young  man  had  not  yet  seen 
his  father,  but  his  mother  knew  he  was  only  waiting 
an  opportunity  to  demand  an  explanation  of  the  en 
gagement  announcements.  Her  husband,  on  the  other 
hand,  desired  the  match  more  than  ever,  owing  to 
the  continued  importunities  of  Senator  Roberts.  As 
usual,  Mrs.  Ryder  confided  these  little  domestic 
troubles  to  Shirley. 

"  Jefferson,"  she  said,  "  is  very  angry.  He  is  de 
termined  not  to  marry  the  girl,  and  when  he  and  his 
father  do  meet  there'll  be  another  scene." 


319 


THE  LION  & 

"What  objection  has  your  son  to  Miss  Roberts?" 
inquired  Shirley  innocently. 

"  Oh,  the  usual  reason,"  sighed  the  mother,  "  and 
I've  no  doubt  he  knows  best.  He's  in  love  with  an 
other  girl — a  Miss  Rossmore." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  answered  Shirley  simply.  "  Mr.  Ryder 
spoke  of  her." 

Mrs.  Ryder  was  silent,  and  presently  she  left  the 
girl  alone  with  her  work. 

The  next  afternoon  Shirley  was  in  her  room  busy 
writing  when  there  came  a  tap  at  her  door.  Thinking 
it  was  another  visit  from  Mrs.  Ryder,  she  did  not  look 
up,  but  cried  out  pleasantly : 

"  Come  in." 

John  Ryder  entered.  He  smiled  cordially  and,  as  if 
apologizing  for  the  intrusion,  said  amiably : 

"  I  thought  I'd  run  up  to  see  how  you  were  getting 
along." 

His  coming  was  so  unexpected  that  for  a  moment 
Shirley  was  startled,  but  she  quickly  regained  her 
composure  and  asked  him  to  take  a  seat.  He  seemed 
pleased  to  find  her  making  such  good  progress,  and 
he  stopped  to  answer  a  number  of  questions  she  put 
to  him.  Shirley  tried  to  be  cordial,  but  when  she 
looked  well  at  him  and  noted  the  keen,  hawk-like 
eyes,  the  cruel,  vindictive  lines  about  the  mouth,  the 

320 


THE   MOUSE 

square-set,  relentless  jaw — Wall  Street  had  gone 
wrong  with  the  Colossus  that  day  and  he  was  still 
wearing  his  war  paint — she  recalled  the  wrong  this 
man  had  done  her  father  and  she  felt  how  bitterly 
she  hated  him.  The  more  her  mind  dwelt  upon  it, 
the  more  exasperated  she  was  to  think  she  should  be 
there,  a  guest,  under  his  roof,  and  it  was  only  with  the 
greatest  difficulty  that  she  remained  civil. 

"What  is  the  moral  of  your  life?"  she  demanded 
bluntly. 

He  was  quick  to  note  the  contemptuous  tone  in  her 
voice,  and  he  gave  her  a  keen,  searching  look  as  if 
he  were  trying  to  read  her  thoughts  and  fathom  the 
reason  for  her  very  evident  hostility  towards  him. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  mean,  What  can  you  show  as  your  life  work  ? 
Most  men  whose  lives  are  big  enough  to  call  for  biog 
raphies  have  done  something  useful — they  have  been 
famous  statesmen,  eminent  scientists,  celebrated  au 
thors,  great  inventors.  What  have  you  done  ?  " 

The  question  appeared  to  stagger  him.  The 
audacity  of  any  one  putting  such  a  question  to  a  man 
in  his  own  house  was  incredible.  He  squared  his  jaws 
and  his  clenched  fist  descended  heavily  on  the  table. 

"  What  have  I  done?"  he  cried.  "  I  have  built  up 
the  greatest  fortune  ever  accumulated  by  one  man. 

321 


THE   LION  & 

My  fabulous  wealth  has  caused  my  name  to  spread 
to  the  four  corners  of  the  earth.  Is  that  not  an 
achievement  to  relate  to  future  generations  ?  " 

Shirley  gave  a  little  shrug  of  her  shoulders. 

"  Future  generations  will  take  no  interest  in  you  or 
your  millions,"  she  said  calmly.  "  Our  civilization 
will  have  made  such  progress  by  that  time  that  people 
will  merely  wonder  why  we,  in  our  day,  tolerated  men 
of  your  class  so  long.  Now  it  is  different.  The 
world  is  money-mad.  You  are  a  person  of  importance 
in  the  eyes  of  the  unthinking  multitude,  but  it  only 
envies  you  your  fortune ;  it  does  not  admire  you  per 
sonally.  When  you  die  people  will  count  your  mil 
lions,  not  your  good  deeds." 

He  laughed  cynically  and  drew  up  a  chair  near  her 
desk.  As  a  general  thing,  John  Ryder  never  wasted 
words  on  women.  He  had  but  a  poor  opinion  of  their 
mentality,  and  considered  it  beneath  the  dignity  of 
any  man  to  enter  into  serious  argument  with  a  woman. 
In  fact,  it  was  seldom  he  condescended  to  argue  with 
anyone.  He  gave  orders  and  talked  to  people ;  he  had 
no  patience  to  be  talked  to.  Yet  he  found  himself 
listening  with  interest  to  this  young  woman  who  ex 
pressed  herself  so  frankly.  It  was  a  decided  novelty 
for  him  to  hear  the  truth. 

322 


THE   MOUSE 

"  What  do  I  care  what  the  world  says  when  I'm 
dead  ?  "  he  asked  with  a  forced  laugh. 

"  You  do  care,"  replied  Shirley  gravely.  "  You 
may  school  yourself  to  believe  that  you  are  indifferent 
to  the  good  opinion  of  your  fellow  man,  but  right 
down  in  your  heart  you  do  care — every  man  does, 
whether  he  be  multi-millionaire  or  a  sneak  thief." 

"  You  class  the  two  together,  I  notice,"  he  said 
bitterly. 

"  It  is  often  a  distinction  without  a  difference,"  she 
rejoined  promptly. 

He  remained  silent  for  a  moment  or  two  toying 
nervously  with  a  paper  knife.  Then,  arrogantly,  and  as 
if  anxious  to  impress  her  with  his  importance,  he  said : 

"  Most  men  would  be  satisfied  if  they  had  accom 
plished  what  I  have.  Do  you  realize  that  my  wealth 
is  so  vast  that  I  scarcely  know  myself  what  I  am 
worth  ?  What  my  fortune  will  be  in  another  fifty  years 
staggers  the  imagination.  Yet  I  started  with  nothing. 
I  made  it  all  myself.  Surely  I  should  get  credit  for 
that." 

"  How  did  you  make  it  ?  "  retorted  Shirley. 

"  In  America  we  don't  ask  how  a  man  makes  his 
money;  we  ask  if  he  has  got  any." 

"  You  are  mistaken,"  replied  Shirley  earnestly. 
"  America  is  waking  up.  The  conscience  of  the  nation 

323 


THE    LION   & 

is  being  aroused.  We  are  coming-  to  realize  that  the 
scandals  of  the  last  few  years  were  only  the  fruit  of 
public  indifference  to  sharp  business  practice.  The 
people  will  soon  ask  the  dishonest  rich  man  where 
he  got  it,  and  there  will  have  to  be  an  accounting. 
What  account  will  you  be  able  to  give? 

He  bit  his  lip  and  looked  at  her  for  a  moment 
without  replying.  Then,  with  a  faint  suspicion  of  a 
sneer,  he  said : 

"  You  are  a  socialist — perhaps  an  anarchist !  " 

"  Only  the  ignorant  commit  the  blunder  of  con 
founding  the  two,"  she  retorted.  "  Anarchy  is  a  dis 
ease  ;  socialism  is  a  science." 

"  Indeed !  "  he  exclaimed  mockingly,  "  I  thought  the 
terms  were  synonymous.  The  world  regards  them 
both  as  insane." 

Herself  an  enthusiastic  convert  to  the  new  political 
faith  that  was  rising  like  a  flood  tide  all  over  the 
world,  the  contemptuous  tone  in  which  this  plutocrat 
spoke  of  the  coming  reorganization  of  society  which 
was  destined  to  destroy  him  and  his  kind  spurred  her 
on  to  renewed  argument. 

"  I  imagine,"  she  said  sarcastically,  "  that  you  would 
hardly  approve  any  social  reform  which  threatened 
to  interfere  with  your  own  business  methods.  But 
no  matter  how  you  disapprove  of  socialism  on  general 

324 


THE   MOUSE 

principles,  as  a  leader  of  the  capitalist  class  you  should 
understand  what  socialism  is,  and  not  confuse  one  of 
the  most  important  movements  in  modern  world- 
history  with  the  crazy  theories  of  irresponsible  cranks. 
The  anarchists  are  the  natural  enemies  of  the  entire 
human  family,  and  would  destroy  it  were  their  dan 
gerous  doctrines  permitted  to  prevail;  the  socialists, 
on  the  contrary,  are  seeking  to  save  mankind  from 
the  degradation,  the  crime  and  the  folly  into  which 
such  men  as  you  have  driven  it." 

She  spoke  impetuously,  with  the  inspired  exaltation 
of  a  prophet  delivering  a  message  to  the  people. 
Ryder  listened,  concealing  his  impatience  with  uneasy 
little  coughs. 

"  Yes,"  she  went  on,  "  I  am  a  socialist  and  I  am 
proud  of  it.  The  whole  world  is  slowly  drifting  toward 
socialism  as  the  only  remedy  for  the  actual  intolerable 
conditions.  It  may  not  come  in  our  time,  but  it  will 
come  as  surely  as  the  sun  will  rise  and  set  to 
morrow.  Has  not  the  flag  of  socialism  waved  recently 
from  the  White  House?  Has  not  a  President  of  the 
United  States  declared  that  the  State  must  eventually 
curb  the  great  fortunes  ?  What  is  that  but  socialism  ?  " 

"  True,"  retorted  Ryder  grimly,  "  and  that  little 
speech  intended  for  the  benefit  of  the  gallery  will 
cost  him  the  nomination  at  the  next  Presidential  elec- 

325 


THE    LION  & 

tion.  We  don't  want  in  the  White  House  a  President 
who  stirs  up  class  hatred.  Our  rich  men  have  a  right 
to  what  is  their  own;  that  is  guaranteed  them  by  the 
Constitution." 

"  Is  it  their  own  ?  "  interrupted  Shirley. 

Ryder  ignored  the  insinuation  and  proceeded : 

"  What  of  our  boasted  free  institutions  if  a  man 
is  to  be  restricted  in  what  he  may  and  may  not  do  ? 
If  I  am  clever  enough  to  accumulate  millions  who  can 
stop  me  ?  " 

"The  people  will  stop  you,"  said  Shirley  calmly. 
"  It  is  only  a  question  of  time.  Their  patience  is  about 
exhausted.  Put  your  ear  to  the  ground  and  listen 
to  the  distant  rumbling  of  the  tempest  which,  sooner 
or  later,  will  be  unchained  in  this  land,  provoked  by 
the  iniquitous  practices  of  organized  capital.  The 
people  have  had  enough  of  the  extortions  of  the 
Trusts.  One  day  they  will  rise  in  their  wrath  and 
seize  by  the  throat  this  knavish  plutocracy  which,  con 
fident  in  the  power  of  its  wealth  to  procure  legal  im 
munity  and  reckless  of  its  danger,  persists  in  robbing 
the  public  daily.  But  retribution  is  at  hand.  The 
growing  discontent  of  the  proletariat,  the  ever- 
increasing  strikes  and  labour  disputes  of  all  kinds,  the 
clamour  against  the  Railroads  and  the  Trusts,  the  evi 
dence  of  collusion  between  both— all  this  is  the  writing 

326 


THE   MOUSE 

on  the  wall.  The  capitalistic  system  is  doomed;  so 
cialism  will  succeed  it." 

"  What  is  socialism  ? "  he  demanded  scornfully. 
"  What  will  it  give  the  public  that  it  has  not  got 
already?" 

Shirley,  who  never  neglected  an  opportunity  to  make 
a  convert,  no  matter  how  hardened  he  might  be, 
picked  up  a  little  pamphlet  printed  for  propaganda 
purposes  which  she  had  that  morning  received  by 
mail. 

"  Here,"  she  said,  "  is  one  of  the  best  and  clearest 
definitions  of  socialism  I  have  ever  read: 

"  Socialism  is  common  ownership  of  natural  re 
sources  and  public  utilities,  and  the  common  operation 
of  all  industries  for  the  general  good.  Socialism  is 
opposed  to  monopoly,  that  is,  to  private  ownership 
of  land  and  the  instruments  of  labor,  which  is  indirect 
ownership  of  men;  to  the  wages  system,  by  which 
labor  is  legally  robbed  of  a  large  part  of  the  product 
of  labor;  to  competition  with  its  enormous  waste  of 
effort  and  its  opportunities  for  the  spoliation  of  the 
weak  by  the  strong.  Socialism  is  industrial  democ 
racy.  It  is  the  government  of  the  people  by 
the  people  and  for  the  people,  not  in  the  present 
restricted  sense,  but  as  regards  all  the  common 
interests  of  men.  Socialism  is  opposed  to  oli- 

327 


THE   LION  & 

garchy  and  monarchy,  and  therefore  to  the  tyran 
nies  of  business  cliques  and  money  kings.  Socialism 
is  for  freedom,  not  only  from  the  fear  of  force,  but 
from  the  fear  of  want.  Socialism  proposes  real  lib 
erty,  not  merely  the  right  to  vote,  but  the  liberty  to 
live  for  something  more  than  meat  and  drink. 

"  Socialism  is  righteousness  in  the  relations  of  men. 
It  is  based  on  the  fundamentals  of  religion,  the  Father 
hood  of  God  and  the  Brotherhood  of  men.  It  seeks 
through  association  and  equality  to  realize  fraternity. 
Socialism  will  destroy  the  motives  which  make  for 
cheap  manufacturers,  poor  workmanship  and  adul 
terations  ;  it  will  secure  the  real  utility  of  things.  Use, 
not  exchange,  will  be  the  object  of  labour.  Things  will 
be  made  to  serve,  not  to  sell.  Socialism  will  banish 
war,  for  private  ownership  is  back  of  strife  between 
men.  Socialism  will  purify  politics,  for  private  cap 
italism  is  the  great  source  of  political  corruption.  So 
cialism  will  make  for  education,  invention  and  dis 
covery;  it  will  stimulate  the  moral  development  of 
men.  Crime  will  have  lost  most  of  its  motive  and 
pauperism  will  have  no  excuse.  That,"  said  Shirley, 
as  she  concluded,  "  is  socialism !  " 

Ryder  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  rose  to  go. 

"  Delightful/*  he  said  ironically,  "  but  in  my  judg 
ment  wholly  Utopian  and  impracticable.  It's  nothing 

328 


THE   MOUSE 

but  a  gigantic  pipe  dream.  It  won't  come  in  this 
generation  nor  in  ten  generations  if,  indeed,  it  is  ever 
taken  seriously  by  a  majority  big  enough  to  put  its 
theories  to  the  test.  Socialism  does  not  take  into 
account  two  great  factors  that  move  the  world — men's 
passions  and  human  ambition.  If  you  eliminate  am 
bition  you  remove  the  strongest  incentive  to  individual 
effort.  From  your  own  account  a  socialistic  world 
would  be  a  dreadfully  tame  place  to  live  in — every 
body  depressingly  good,  without  any  of  the  feverish 
turmoil  of  life  as  we  know  it.  Such  a  world  would 
not  appeal  to  me  at  all.  I  love  the  fray — the  daily 
battle  of  gain  and  loss,  the  excitement  of  making  or 
losing  millions.  That  is  my  life !  " 

"  Yet  what  good  is  your  money  to  you  ?  "  insisted 
Shirley.  "  You  are  able  to  spend  only  an  infinitesimal 
part  of  it.  You  cannot  even  give  it  away,  for  nobody 
will  have  any  of  it." 

"  Money !  "  he  hissed  rather  than  spoke,  "  I  hate 
money.  It  means  nothing  to  me.  I  have  so  much  that 
I  have  lost  all  idea  of  its  value.  I  go  on  accumulating 
it  for  only  one  purpose.  It  buys  power.  I  love  power 
— that  is  my  passion,  my  ambition,  to  rule  the  world 
with  my  gold.  Do  you  know,"  he  went  on  and  lean 
ing  over  the  desk  in  a  dramatic  attitude,  "that  if  1 
chose  I  could  start  a  panic  in  Wall  Street  to-morrow 

329 


THE   LION  & 

that  would  shake  to  their  foundations  every  financial 
institution  in  the  country?  Do  you  know  that  I 
practically  control  the  Congress  of  the  United  States 
and  that  no  legislative  measure  becomes  law  unless 
it  has  my  approval  ?  " 

;£The  public  has  long  suspected  as  much,"  replied 
Shirley.  "  That  is  why  you  are  looked  upon  as  a 
menace  to  the  stability  and  honesty  of  our  political 
and  commercial  life." 

An  angry  answer  rose  to  his  lips  when  the  door 
opened  and  Mrs.  Ryder  entered. 

"  I've  been  looking  for  you,  John,"  she  said 
peevishly.  "  Mr.  Bagley  told  me  you  were  some 
where  in  the  house.  Senator  Roberts  is  downstairs." 

"  He's  come  about  Jefferson  and  his  daughter,  I 
suppose,"  muttered  Ryder.  "Well,  I'll  see  him. 
Where  is  he?" 

"  In  the  library.  Kate  came  with  him.  She's  in 
my  room."  « 

They  left  Shirley  to  her  writing,  and  when  he  had 
closed  the  door  the  financier  turned  to  his  wife  and 
said  impatiently: 

"  Now,  what  are  we  going  to  do  about  Jefferson 
and  Kate?  The  senator  insists  on  the  matter  of  their 
marriage  being  settled  one  way  or  another.  Where 
is  Jefferson  ?  " 

330 


THE   MOUSE 

"  He  came  in  about  half  an  hour  ago.  He  was 
upstairs  to  see  me,  and  I  thought  he  was  looking  for 
you,"  answered  the  wife. 

"Well,"  replied  Ryder  determinedly,  "he  and  I 
have  got  to  understand  each  other.  This  can't  go  on. 
It  shan't." 

Mrs.  Ryder  put  her  hand  on  his  arm,  and  said 
pleadingly : 

"  Don't  be  impatient  with  the  boy,  John.  Remember 
he  is  all  we  have.  He  is  so  unhappy.  He  wants  to 
please  us,  but " 

"  But  he  insists  on  pleasing  himself,"  said  Ryder 
completing  the  sentence. 

"  I'm  afraid,  John,  that  his  liking  for  that  Miss 
Rossmore  is  more  serious  than  you  realize 

The  financier  stamped  his  foot  and  replied  angrily: 

"  Miss  Rossmore !  That  name  seems  to  confront 
me  at  every  turn — for  years  the  father,  now  the  daugh 
ter!  I'm  sorry,  my  dear,"  he  went  on  more  calmly, 
"  that  you  seem  inclined  to  listen  to  Jefferson.  It 
only  encourages  him  in  his  attitude  towards  me.  Kate 
would  make  him  an  excellent  wife,  while  what  do  we 
know  about  the  other  woman?  Are  you  willing  to 
sacrifice  your  son's  future  to  a  mere  boyish  whim  ?  " 

Mrs.  Ryder  sighed. 

331 


THE   LION  & 

"  It's  very  hard,"  she  said,  "  for  a  mother  to  know 
what  to  advise.  Miss  Green  says " 

"  What !  "  exclaimed  her  husband,  "  you  have  con 
sulted  Miss  Green  on  the  subject?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  his  wife,  "  I  don't  know  how  I 
came  to  tell  her,  but  I  did.  I  seem  to  tell  her  every 
thing.  I  find  her  such  a  comfort,  John.  I  haven't 
had  an  attack  of  nerves  since  that  girl  has  been  in 
the  house." 

"  She  is  certainly  a  superior  woman,"  admitted 
Ryder.  "  I  wish  she'd  ward  that  Rossmore  girl  off. 
I  wish  she "  He  stopped  abruptly  as  if  not  ven 
turing  to  give  expression  to  his  thoughts,  even  to  his 
wife.  Then  he  said :  "  If  she  were  Kate  Roberts  she 
wouldn't  let  Jeff  slip  through  her  fingers." 

"  I  have  often  wished,"  went  on  Mrs.  Ryder,  "  that 
Kate  were  more  like  Shirley  Green.  I  don't  think  we 
would  have  any  difficulty  with  Jeff  then." 

"  Kate  is  the  daughter  of  Senator  Roberts,  and  if 
this  marriage  is  broken  off  in  any  way  without  the 
senator's  consent,  he  is  in  a  position  to  injure  my 
interests  materially.  If  you  see  Jefferson  send  him  to 
me  in  the  library.  I'll  go  and  keep  Roberts  in  good 
humour  until  he  comes." 

He  went  downstairs  and  Mrs.  Ryder  proceeded  to 
her  apartments,  where  she  found  Jefferson  chatting 

332 


THE   MOUSE 

with  Kate.     She  at  once  delivered  Ryder  Sr/s  mes 
sage. 

"  Jeff,  your  father  wants  to  see  you  in  the  library." 
"  Yes,  I  want  to  see  him,"  answered  the  young  man 
grimly,  and  after  a  few  moments  more  badinage  with 
Kate  he  left  the  room. 

It  was  not  a  mere  coincidence  that  had  brought 
Senator  Roberts  and  his  daughter  and  the  financier's 
son  all  together  under  the  Ryder  roof  at  the  same 
time.  It  was  part  of  Jefferson's  well-prepared  plan 
to  expose  the  rascality  of  his  father's  secretary,  and 
at  the  same  time  rid  himself  of  the  embarrassing  en 
tanglement  with  Kate  Roberts.  If  the  senator  were 
confronted  publicly  with  the  fact  that  his  daughter, 
while  keeping  up  the  fiction  of  being  engaged  to 
Ryder  Jr.,  was  really  preparing  to  run  off  with  the 
Hon.  Fitzroy  Bagley,  he  would  have  no  alternative 
but  to  retire  gracefully  under  fire  and  relinquish  all 
idea  of  a  marriage  alliance  with  the  house  of  Ryder. 
The  critical  moment  had  arrived.  To-morrow,  Wed 
nesday,  was  the  day  fixed  for  the  elopement.  The 
secretary's  little  game  had  gone  far  enough.  The  time 
had  come  for  action.  So  Jefferson  had  written  to 
Senator  Roberts,  who  was  in  Washington,  asking  him 
if  it  would  be  convenient  for  him  to  come  at  once  to 
New  York  and  meet  himself  and  his  father  on  a  matter 

333 


THE   LION   & 

of  importance.  The  senator  naturally  jumped  to  the 
conclusion  that  Jefferson  and  Ryder  had  reached  an 
amicable  understanding,  and  he  immediately  hurried 
to  New  York  and  with  his  daughter  came  round  to 
Seventy-fourth  Street. 

When  Ryder  Sr.  entered  the  library,  Senator  Rob 
erts  was  striding  nervously  up  and  down  the  room. 
This,  he  felt,  was  an  important  day.  The  ambition 
of  his  life  seemed  on  the  point  of  being  attained. 

"  Hello,  Roberts,"  was  Ryder's  cheerful  greeting. 
"  What's  brought  you  from  Washington  at  a  critical 
time  like  this?  The  Rossmore  impeachment  needs 
every  friend  we  have." 

"  Just  as  if  you  didn't  know,"  smiled  the  senator 
uneasily,  "  that  I  am  here  by  appointment  to  meet 
you  and  your  son !  " 

"  To  meet  me  and  my  son  ?  "  echoed  Ryder  aston 
ished. 

The  senator,  perplexed  and  beginning  to  feel  real 
alarm,  showed  the  financier  Jefferson's  letter.  Ry 
der  read  it  and  he  looked  pleased. 

"  That's  all  right,"  he  said,  "  if  the  lad  asked  you 
to  meet  us  here  it  can  mean  only  one  thing — that  at 
last  he  has  made  up  his  mind  to  this  marriage." 

"  That's  what  I  thought,"  replied  the  senator,  breath 
ing  more  freely.  "  I  was  sorry  to  leave  Washington 

334 


THE  MOUSE 

at  such  a  time,  but  I'm  a  father,  and  Kate  is  more  to 
me  than  the  Rossmore  impeachment.  Besides,  to  see 
her  married  to  your  son  Jefferson  is  one  of  the  dearest 
wishes  of  my  life." 

"  You  can  rest  easy,"  said  Ryder ;  "  that  is  practi 
cally  settled.  Jefferson's  sending  for  you  proves  that 
he  is  now  ready  to  meet  my  wishes.  He'll  be  here 
any  minute.  How  is  the  Rossmore  case  progressing  ?  " 

"  Not  so  well  as  it  might,"  growled  the  senator. 
"  There's  a  lot  of  maudlin  sympathy  for  the  judge. 
He's  a  pretty  sick  man  by  all  accounts,  and  the  news 
papers  seem  to  be  taking  his  part.  One  or  two  of  the 
Western  senators  are  talking  Corporate  influence  and 
Trust  legislation,  but  when  it  comes  to  a  vote  the 
matter  will  be  settled  on  party  lines." 

"  That  means  that  Judge  Rossmore  will  be  re 
moved  ?  "  demanded  Ryder  sternly. 

"  Yes,  with  five  votes  to  spare,"  answered  the  sen 
ator. 

"  That's  not  enough,"  insisted  Ryder.  "  There  must 
be  at  least  twenty.  Let  there  be  no  blunders,  Roberts. 
The  man  is  a  menace  to  all  the  big  commercial  in 
terests.  This  thing  must  go  through." 

The  door  opened  and  Jefferson  appeared.  On 
seeing  the  senator  talking  with  his  father,  he  hesitated 
on  the  threshold. 

335 


THE  LION  & 

"  Come  in,  Jeff,"  said  his  father  pleasantly.  "  You 
expected  to  see  Senator  Roberts,  didn't  you  ?  " 

"  YQS,  sir.  How  do  you  do,  Senator  ? "  said  the 
young  man,  advancing  into  the  room. 

"  I  got  your  letter,  my  boy,  and  here  I  am,"  said  the 
senator  smiling  affably.  "  I  suppose  we  can  guess 
what  the  business  is,  eh  ?  " 

"  That  he's  going  to  marry  Kate,  of  course,"  chimed 
in  Ryder  Sr.  "  Jeff,  my  lad,  I'm  glad  you  are  begin 
ning  to  see  my  way  of  looking  at  things.  You're 
doing  more  to  please  me  lately,  and  I  appreciate  it. 
You  stayed  at  home  'when  I  asked  you  to,  and  now 
you've  made  up  your  mind  regarding  this  marriage." 

Jefferson  let  his  father  finish  his  speech,  and  then 
he  said  calmly: 

"  I  think  there  must  be  some  misapprehension  as  to 
the  reason  for  my  summoning  Senator  Roberts  to 
New  York.  It  had  nothing  to  do  with  my  marrying 
Miss  Roberts,  but  to  prevent  her  marriage  with  some 
one  else." 

"  What!  "  exclaimed  Ryder,  Sr. 

"  Marriage  with  someone  else  ?  "  echoed  the  senator. 
He  thought  he  had  not  heard  aright,  yet  at  the  same 
time  he  had  grave  misgivings.  "  What  do  you  mean, 
sir?" 

Taking  from  his  pocket  a  copy  of  the  letter  he  had 

336 


THE  MOUSE 

picked  up  on  the  staircase,  Jefferson  held  it  out  to 
the  girl's  father. 

"  Your  daughter  is  preparing  to  run  away  with  my 
father's  secretary.  To-morrow  would  have  been  too 
late.  That  is  why  I  summoned  you.  Read  this." 

The  senator  took  the  letter,  and  as  he  read  his  face 
grew  ashen  and  his  hand  trembled  violently.  At  one 
blow  all  his  ambitious  projects  for  his  daughter  had 
been  swept  away.  The  inconsiderate  act  of  a  silly, 
thoughtless  girl  had  spoiled  the  carefully  laid  plans 
of  a  lifetime.  The  only  consolation  which  remained 
was  that  the  calamity  might  have  been  still  more  se 
rious.  This  timely  warning  had  saved  his  family  from 
perhaps  an  even  greater  scandal.  He  passed  the  letter 
in  silence  to  Ryder,  Sr. 

The  financier  was  a  man  of  few  words  when  the 
situation  called  for  prompt  action.  After  he  had  read 
the  letter  through,  there  was  an  ominous  silence. 
Then  he  rang  a  bell.  The  butler  appeared. 

"  Tell  Mr.  Bagley  I  want  him." 

The  man  bowed  and  disappeared. 

"Who  the  devil  is  this  Bagley?"  demanded  the 
senator. 

"  English — blue  blood — no  money,"  was  Ryder's 
laconic  answer. 

"  That's  the  only  kind  we  seem  to  get  over  here," 
337 


THE   LION  & 

growled  the  senator.  "  We  furnish  the  money — they 
furnish  the  blood — damn  his  blue  blood !  I  don't  want 
any  in  mine."  Turning  to  Jefferson,  he  said :  "  Jeffer 
son,  whatever  the  motives  that  actuated  you,  I  can 
only  thank  you  for  this  warning.  I  think  it  would 
have  broken  my  heart  if  my  girl  had  gone  away  with 
that  scoundrel.  Of  course,  under  the  circumstances, 
I  must  abandon  all  idea  of  your  becoming  my  son-in- 
law.  I  release  you  from  all  obligations  you  may  have 
felt  yourself  bound  by." 

Jefferson  bowed  and  remained  silent. 

Ryder,  Sr.  eyed  his  son  closely,  an  amused  expres 
sion  hovering  on  his  face.  After  all,  it  was  not  so 
much  he  who  had  desired  this  match  as  Roberts,  and 
as  long  as  the  senator  was  willing  to  withdraw,  he 
could  make  no  objection.  He  wondered  what  part, 
if  any,  his  son  had  played  in  bringing  about  this  sensa 
tional  denouement  to  a  match  which  had  been  so 
distasteful  to  him,  and  it  gratified  his  paternal  vanity 
to  think  that  Jefferson  after  all  might  be  smarter  than 
he  had  given  him  credit  for. 

At  this  juncture  Mr.  Bagley  entered  the  room.  He 
was  a  little  taken  aback  on  seeing  the  senator,  but 
like  most  men  of  his  class,  his  self-conceit  made  him 
confident  of  his  ability  to  handle  any  emergency  which 
might  arise,  and  he  had  no  reason  to  suspect  that  this 

338 


THE    MOUSE 

hasty  summons  to  the  library  had  anything  to  do  with 
his  matrimonial  plans. 

"  Did  you  ask  for  me,  sir  ?  he  demanded,  addressing 
his  employer. 

"Yes,  Mr.  Bagley,"  replied  Ryder,  fixing  the  sec 
retary  with  a  look  that  filled  the  latter  with  misgivings. 
"  What  steamers  leave  to-morrow  for  England  ?  " 

"  To-morrow  ?  "  echoed  Mr.  Bagley. 

"  I  said  to-morrow,"  repeated  Ryder,  slightly  raising 
his  voice. 

"  Let  me  see,"  stammered  the  secretary,  "  there  is 
the  White  Star,  the  North  German  Lloyd,  the  At 
lantic  Transport ' 

"  Have  you  any  preference  ?  "  inquired  the  financier. 

"  No,  sir,  none  at  all." 

"  Then  you'll  go  on  board  one  of  the  ships  to-night," 
said  Ryder.  "  Your  things  will  be  packed  and  sent 
to  you  before  the  steamer  sails  to-morrow." 

The  Hon.  Fitzroy  Bagley,  third  son  of  a  British 
peer,  did  not  understand  even  yet  that  he  was  dis 
charged  as  one  dismisses  a  housemaid  caught  kissing 
the  policeman.  He  could  not  think  what  Mr.  Ryder 
wanted  him  to  go  abroad  for  unless  it  were  on  some 
matter  of  business,  and  it  was  decidedly  inconvenient 
for  him  to  sail  at  this  time. 

339 


THE   LION  & 

"  But,  sir,"  he  stammered.  "  I'm  afraid — I'm 
afraid " 

"  Yes,"  rejoined  Ryder  promptly,  "  I  notice  that— 
your  hand  is  shaking." 

"  I  mean  that  I— 

"  You  mean  that  you  have  other  engagements !  " 
said  Ryder  sternly. 

«  Oh  no— no  but " 

"  No  engagement  at  eleven  o'clock  to-morrow 
morning?"  insisted  Ryder. 

"  With  my  daughter  ?  "  chimed  in  the  senator. 

Mr.  Bagley  now  understood.  He  broke  out  in  a 
cold  perspiration  and  he  paled  visibly.  In  the  hope 
that  the  full  extent  of  his  plans  were  not  known,  he 
attempted  to  brazen  it  out. 

"  No,  certainly  not,  under  no  circumstances,"  he 
said. 

Ryder,  Sr.  rang  a  bell. 

"  Perhaps  she  has  an  engagement  with  you.  We'll 
ask  her."  To  the  butler,  who  entered,  he  said:  "Tell 
Miss  Roberts  that  her  father  would  like  to  see  her 
here." 

The  man  disappeared  and  the  senator  took  a  hand 
in  cross-examining  the  now  thoroughly  uncomfortable 
secretary. 

"  So  you  thought  my  daughter  looked  pale  and  that 

340 


THE   MOUSE 

a  little  excursion  to  Buffalo  would  be  a  good  thing 
for  her?  Well,  it  won't  be  a  good  thing  for  you, 
young  man,  I  can  assure  you  of  that !  " 

The  English  aristocrat  began  to  wilt.  His  assur 
ance  of  manner  quite  deserted  him  and  he  stammered 
painfully  as  he  floundered  about  in  excuses. 

"  Not  with  me — oh  dear,  no,"  he  said. 

"  You  never  proposed  to  run  away  with  my  daugh 
ter  ?  "  cried  the  irate  father. 

"  Run  away  with  her?  "  stammered  Bagley. 

"  And  marry  her  ?  "  shouted  the  senator,  shaking  his 
fist  at  him. 

"  Oh  say — this  is  hardly  fair — three  against  one — 
really — I'm  awfully  sorry,  eh,  what?" 

The  door  opened  and  Kate  Roberts  bounced  in. 
She  was  smiling  and  full  of  animal  spirits,  but  on 
seeing  the  stern  face  of  her  father  and  the  pitiable 
picture  presented  by  her  faithful  Fitz  she  was  in 
telligent  enough  to  immediately  scent  danger. 

"Did  you  want  to  see  me,  father?"  she  inquired 
boldly. 

"  Yes,  Kate,"  answered  the  senator  gravely,  "  we 
have  just  been  having  a  talk  with  Mr.  Bagley,  in 
which  you  were  one  of  the  subjects  of  conversation. 
Can  you  guess  what  it  was  ?  " 

The  girl  looked  from  her  father  to  Bagley  and  from 
341 


THE   LION  & 

him  to  the  Ryders.  Her  aristocratic  lover  made  a 
movement  forward  as  if  to  exculpate  himself,  but  he 
caught  Ryder's  eye  and  remained  where  he  was. 

"  Well  ?  "  she  said,  with  a  nervous  laugh. 

"Is  it  true?"  asked  the  senator,  "that  you  were 
about  to  marry  this  man  secretly  ?  " 

She  cast  down  her  eyes  and  answered : 

"  I  suppose  you  know  everything." 

"  Have  you  anything  to  add  ? "  asked  her  father 
sternly. 

"  No,"  said  Kate  shaking  her  head.  "  It's  true.  We 
intended  to  run  away,  didn't  we  Fitz  ?  " 

"  Never  mind  about  Mr.  Bagley,"  thundered  her 
father.  "  Haven't  you  a  word  of  shame  for  this  dis 
grace  you  have  brought  upon  me  ?  " 

"  Oh  papa,  don't  be  so  cross.  Jefferson  did  not  care 
for  me.  I  couldn't  be  an  old  maid.  Mr.  Bagley  has 
a  lovely  castle  in  England,  and  one  day  he'll  sit  in 
the  House  of  Lords.  He'll  explain  everything  to  you." 

"  He'll  explain  nothing,"  rejoined  the  senator 
grimly.  "  Mr.  Bagley  returns  to  England  to-night. 
He  won't  have  time  to  explain  anything." 

"  Returns  to  England  ?  "  echoed  Kate  dismayed. 

"  Yes,  and  you  go  with  me  to  Washington  at  once." 

The  senator  turned  to  Ryder. 

"  Good-bye  Ryder.  The  little  domestic  comedy  is 
342 


THE    MOUSE 

ended.  I'm  grateful  it  didn't  turn  out  a  drama.  The 
next  time  I  pick  out  a  son-in-law  I  hope  I'll  have 
better  luck." 

He  shook  hands  with  Jefferson,  and  left  the  room 
followed  by  his  crestfallen  daughter. 

Ryder,  who  had  gone  to  write  something  at  his 
desk,  strode  over  to  where  Mr.  Bagley  was  standing 
and  handed  him  a  cheque. 

"  Here,  sir,  this  settles  everything  to  date.  Good- 
day." 

"  But  I — I — "  stammered  the  secretary  helplessly. 

"  Good-day,  sir." 

Ryder  turned  his  back  on  him  and  conversed  with 
his  son,  while  Mr.  Bagley  slowly,  and  as  if  regretfully, 
made  his  exit. 


343 


THE   LION  & 


CHAPTER   XV 

IT  was  now  December  and  the  Senate  had  Keen  ftt 
session  for  over  a  week.  Jefferson  had  not  for 
gotten  his  promise,  and  one  day,  about  two 
weeks  after  Mr.  Bagley's  spectacular  dismissal  from 
the  Ryder  residence,  he  had  brought  Shirley  the  two 
letters.  She  did  not  ask  him  how  he  got  them,  if  he 
forced  the  drawer  or  procured  the  key.  It  sufficed  for 
her  that  the  precious  letters — the  absolute  proof  of  her 
father's  innocence — were  at  last  in  her  possession. 
She  at  once  sent  them  off  by  registered  mail  to  Stott, 
who  immediately  acknowledged  receipt  and  at  the  same 
time  announced  his  departure  for  Washington  that 
night.  He  promised  to  keep  her  constantly  informed 
of  what  he  was  doing  and  how  her  father's  case  was 
going.  It  could,  he  thought,  be  only  a  matter  of  a  few 
days  now  before  the  result  of  the  proceedings  would 
be  known. 

The  approach  of  the  crisis  made  Shirley  exceedingly 
nervous,  and  it  was  only  by  the  exercise  of  the  greatest 
self-control  that  she  did  not  betray  the  terrible  anxiety 
she  felt.  The  Ryder  biography  was  nearly  finished 

344 


THE   MOUSE 

and  her  stay  in  Seventy-fourth  Street  would  soon 
come  to  an  end.  She  had  a  serious  talk  with  Jefferson, 
who  contrived  to  see  a  good  deal  of  her,  entirely  un 
suspected  by  his  parents,  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ryder 
had  no  reason  to  believe  that  their  son  had  any  more 
than  a  mere  bowing  acquaintance  with  the  clever 
young  authoress.  Now  that  Mr.  Bagley  was  no 
longer  there  to  spy  upon  their  actions  these  clandes 
tine  interviews  had  been  comparatively  easy.  Shirley 
brought  to  bear  all  the  arguments  she  could  think  of 
to  convince  Jefferson  of  the  hopelessness  of  their 
engagement.  She  insisted  that  she  could  never  be 
his  wife ;  circumstances  over  which  they  had  no  con 
trol  made  that  dream  impossible.  It  were  better,  she 
said,  to  part  now  rather  than  incur  the  risk  of  being 
unhappy  later.  But  Jefferson  refused  to  be  convinced. 
He  argued  and  pleaded  and  he  even  swore — strange, 
desperate  words  that  Shirley  had  never  heard  before 
and  which  alarmed  her  not  a  little — and  the  discussion 
ended  usually  by  a  kiss  which  put  Shirley  completely 
hors  de  combat. 

Meantime,  John  Ryder  had  not  ceased  worrying 
about  his  son.  The  removal  of  Kate  Roberts  as  a 
factor  in  his  future  had  not  eliminated  the  danger 
of  Jefferson  taking  the  bit  between  his  teeth  one  day 
and  contracting  a  secret  marriage  with  the  daughter 

345 


THE    LION  & 

of  his  enemy,  and  when  he  thought  of  the  mere  pos 
sibility  of  such  a  thing  happening  he  stormed  and 
raved  until  his  wife,  accustomed  as  she  was  to  his 
choleric  outbursts,  was  thoroughly  frightened.  For 
some  time  after  Bagley's  departure,  father  and  son 
got  along  together  fairly  amicably,  but  Ryder,  Sr.  was 
quick  to  see  that  Jefferson  had  something  on  his 
mind  which  was  worrying  him,  and  he  rightly  at 
tributed  it  to  his  infatuation  for  Miss  Rossmore.  He 
was  convinced  that  his  son  knew  where  the  judge's 
daughter  was,  although  his  own  efforts  to  discover 
her  whereabouts  had  been  unsuccessful.  Sergeant 
Ellison  had  confessed  absolute  failure;  Miss  Ross- 
more,  he  reported,  had  disappeared  as  completely  as 
if  the  earth  had  swallowed  her,  and  further  search 
was  futile.  Knowing  well  his  son's  impulsive,  head 
strong  disposition,  Ryder,  Sr.  believed  him  quite  ca 
pable  of  marrying  the  girl  secretly  any  time.  The  only 
thing  that  John  Ryder  did  not  know  was  that  Shirley 
Rossmore  was  not  the  kind  of  a  girl  to  allow  any 
man  to  inveigle  her  into  a  secret  marriage.  The 
Colossus,  who  judged  the  world's  morals  by  his  own, 
was  not  of  course  aware  of  this,  and  he  worried  night 
and  day  thinking  what  he  could  do  to  prevent  his 
son  from  marrying  the  daughter  of  the  man  he  had 
wronged. 

346 


THE   MOUSE 

The  more  he  pondered  over  it,  trie  more  he  re 
gretted  that  there  was  not  some  other  girl  with  whom 
Jefferson  could  fall  in  love  and  marry.  He  need  not 
seek  a  rich  girl — there  was  certainly  enough  money 
in  the  Ryder  family  to  provide  for  both.  He  wished 
they  knew  a  girl,  for  example,  as  attractive  and 
clever  as  Miss  Green.  Ah!  he  thought,  there  was  a 
girl  who  would  make  a  man  of  Jefferson — brainy, 
ambitious,  active !  And  the  more  he  thought  of  it  the 
more  the  idea  grew  on  him  that  Miss  Green  would 
be  an  ideal  daughter-in-law,  and  at  the  same  time 
snatch  his  son  from  the  clutches  of  the  Rossmore 
woman. 

Jefferson,  during  all  these  weeks,  was  growing  more 
and  more  impatient.  He  knew  that  any  day  now 
Shirley  might  take  her  departure  from  their  house 
and  return  to  Massapequa.  If  the  impeachment  pro 
ceedings  went  against  her  father  it  was  more  than 
likely  that  he  would  lose  her  forever,  and  if,  on  the 
contrary,  the  judge  were  acquitted,  Shirley  never 
would  be  willing  to  marry  him  without  his  father's 
consent ;  and  this,  he  felt,  he  would  never  obtain.  He 
resolved,  therefore,  to  have  a  final  interview  with  his 
father  and  declare  boldly  his  intention  of  making  Miss 
Rossmore  his  wife,  regardless  of  the  consequences. 

The  opportunity  came  one  evening  after  dinner. 

347 


THE   LION   & 

Ryder,  Sr.  was  sitting  alone  in  the  library,  reading, 
Mrs.  Ryder  had  gone  to  the  theatre  with  a  friend, 
Shirley  as  usual  -.vas  writing  in  her  room,  giving  the 
final  touches  to  her  now  completed  "  History  of  the 
Empire  Trading  Company."  Jefferson  took  the  bull 
by  the  horns  and  boldly  accosted  his  redoubtable 
parent. 

"  May  I  have  a  few  minutes  of  your  time,  father?  " 

Ryder,  Sr.  laid  aside  the  paper  he  was  reading  and 
looked  up.  It  was  unusual  for  his  son  to  come  to 
him  on  any  errand,  and  he  liked  to  encourage  it. 

"  Certainly,  Jefferson.    What  is  it?  " 

"  I  want  to  appeal  to  you,  sir.  I  want  you  to  use 
your  influence,  before  it  is  too  late,  to  save  Judge 
Rossmore.  A  word  from  you  at  this  time  would  do 
wonders  in  Washington." 

The  financier  swung  half-round  in  his  chair,  the 
smile  of  greeting  faded  out  of  his  face,  and  his  voice 
was  hard  as  he  replied  coldly : 

"  Again  ?  I  thought  we  had  agreed  not  to  discuss 
Judge  Rossmore  any  further  ?  " 

"  I  can't  help  it,  sir,"  rejoined  Jefferson  undeterred 
by  his  sire's  hostile  attitude,  "  that  poor  old  man  is 
practically  on  trial  for  his  life.  He  is  as  innocent  of 
wrongdoing  as  a  child  unborn,  and  you  know  it.  You 
could  save  him  if  you  would." 

348 


THE   MOUSE 

"  Jefferson,"  answered  Ryder,  Sr.,  biting  his  lip  to 
restrain  his  impatience,  "  I  told  you  before  that  I 
could  not  interfere  even  if  I  would ;  and  I  won't,  be 
cause  that  man  is  my  enemy.  Important  business  in 
terests,  which  you  cannot  possibly  know  anything 
about,  demand  his  dismissal  from  the  bench." 

"  Surely  your  business  interests  don't  demand  the 
sacrifice  of  a  man's  life !  "  retorted  Jefferson.  "  I 
know  modern  business  methods  are  none  too  squeam 
ish,  but  I  should  think  you'd  draw  the  line  at  de 
liberate  murder !  " 

Ryder  sprang  to  his  feet  and  for  a  moment  stood 
glaring  at  the  young  man.  His  lips  moved,  but  no 
sound  came  from  them.  Suppressed  wrath  rendered 
him  speechless.  What  was  the  world  coming  to  when 
a  son  could  talk  to  his  father  in  this  manner? 

"  How  dare  you  presume  to  judge  my  actions  or  to 
criticise  my  methods  ?  "  he  burst  out,  finally. 

"  You  force  me  to  do  so,"  answered  Jefferson  hotly. 
"  I  want  to  tell  you  that  I  am  heartily  ashamed  of 
this  whole  affair  and  your  connection  with  it,  and 
since  you  refuse  to  make  reparation  in  the  only  way 
possible  for  the  wrong  you  and  your  associates  have 
done  Judge  Rosmore — that  is  by  saving  him  in  the 
Senate — I  think  it  only  fair  to  warn  you  that  I  take 
back  my  word  in  regard  to  not  marrying  without 

349 


THE    LION  & 

your  consent.  I  want  you  to  know  that  I  intend  to 
marry  Miss  Rossmore  as  soon  as  she  will  consent  to 
become  my  wife,  that  is,"  he  added  with  bitterness, 
"  if  I  can  succeed  in  overcoming  her  prejudices 
against  my  family " 

Ryder,  Sr.  laughed  contemptuously. 

"Prejudices  against  a  thousand  million  dollars?" 
he  exclaimed  sceptically. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Jefferson  decisively,  "  prejudices 
against  our  family,  against  you  and  your  business 
practices.  Money  is  not  everything.  One  day  you 
will  find  that  out.  I  tell  you  definitely  that  I  intend 
to  make  Miss  Rossmore  my  wife." 

Ryder,  Sr.  made  no  reply,  and  as  Jefferson  had  ex 
pected  an  explosion,  this  unnatural  calm  rather  startled 
him.  He  was  sorry  he  had  spoken  so  harshly.  It 
was  his  father,  after  all. 

"  You've  forced  me  to  defy  you,  father,"  he  added. 
«  rm  sorry " 

Ryder,  Sr.  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  resumed  his 
seat.  He  lit  another  cigar,  and  with  affected  care 
lessness  he  said: 

"All  right,  Jeff,  my  boy,  we'll  let  it  go  at  that. 
You're  sorry — so  am  I.  You've  shown  me  your  cards 
— I'll  show  you  mine." 

His    composed    unruffled    manner    vanished.      He 

350 


THE    MOUSE 

suddenly  threw  off  the  mask  and  revealed  the  tempest 
that  was  raging  within.  He  leaned  across  the  desk, 
his  face  convulsed  with  uncontrollable  passion,  a  ter 
rifying  picture  of  human  wrath.  Shaking  his  fist  at 
his  son  he  shouted : 

"  When  I  get  through  with  Judge  Rossmore  at 
Washington,  I'll  start  after  his  daughter.  This  time 
to-morrow  he'll  be  a  disgraced  man.  A  week  later  she 
will  be  a  notorious  woman.  Then  we'll  see  if  you'll 
be  so  eager  to  marry  her !  " 

"  Father !  "  cried  Jefferson. 

"  There  is  sure  to  be  something  in  her  life  that 
won't  bear  inspection,"  sneered  Ryder.  "  There  is  in 
everybody's  life.  I'll  find  out  what  it  is.  Where  is 
she  to-day?  She  can't  be  found.  No  one  knows 
where  she  is — not  even  her  own  mother.  Something 
is  wrong — the  girl's  no  good !  " 

Jefferson  started  forward  as  if  to  resent  these  in 
sults  to  the  woman  he  loved1,  but,  realizing  that  it  was 
his  own  father,  he  stopped  short  and  his  hands  fell 
powerless  at  his  side. 

"Well,  is  that  all?"  inquired  Ryder,  Sr.  with  a 
sneer. 

"  That's  all,"  replied  Jefferson,  "  I'm  going.  Good 
bye." 

351 


THE   LION  & 

"  Good-bye,"  answered  his  father  indifferently ; 
"  leave  your  address  with  your  mother." 

Jefferson  left  the  room,  and  Ryder,  Sr.,  as  if  ex 
hausted  by  the  violence  of  his  own  outburst,  sank 
back  limp  in  his  chair.  The  crisis  he  dreaded  had 
come  at  last.  His  son  had  openly  defied  his  authority 
and  was  going  to  marry  the  daughter  of  his  enemy. 
He  must  do  something  to  prevent  it;  the  marriage 
must  not  take  place,  but  what  could  he  do?  The  boy 
was  of  age  and  legally  his  own  master.  He  could  do 
nothing  to  restrain  his  actions  unless  they  put  him  in 
an  insane  asylum.  He  would  rather  see  his  son  there, 
he  mused,  than  married  to  the  Rossmore  woman. 

Presently  there  was  a  timid  knock  at  the  library 
door.  Ryder  rose  from  his  seat  and  went  to  see  who 
was  there.  To  his  surprise  it  was  Miss  Green. 

"  May  I  come  in  ?  "  asked  Shirley. 

"  Certainly,  by  all  means.     Sit  down." 

He  drew  up  a  chair  for  her,  and  his  manner  was  so 
cordial  that  it  was  easy  to  see  she  was  a  welcome 
visitor. 

"  Mr.  Ryder,"  she  began  in  a  low,  tremulous  voice, 
"  I  have  come  to  see  you  on  a  very  important  matter. 
I've  been  waiting  to  see  you  all  evening — and  as  I 
shall  be  here  only  a  short  time  longer  I — want  to  ask 
you  a  great  favour — perhaps  the  greatest  you  were  ever 

352 


THE    MOUSE 

asked — I   want   to   ask   you    for   mercy — for   mercy 

J. » 

She  stopped  and  glanced  nervously  at  him,  but 
she  saw  he  was  paying  no  attention  to  what  she 
was  saying.  He  was  puffing  heavily  at  his  cigar,  en 
tirely  preoccupied  with  his  own  thoughts.  Her  sud 
den  silence  aroused  him.  He  apologized: 

"  Oh,  excuse  me — I  didn't  quite  catch  what  you 
were  saying." 

She  said  nothing,  wondering  what  had  happened  to 
render  him  so  absent-minded.  He  read  the  question 
in  her  face,  for,  turning  towards  her,  he  exclaimed : 

"  For  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  am  face  to  face  with 
defeat — defeat  of  the  most  ignominious  kind — in 
capacity — inability  to  regulate  my  own  internal  affairs. 
I  can  rule  a  government,  but  I  can't  manage  my  own 
family — my  own  son.  I'm  a  failure.  Tell  me,"  he 
added,  appealing  to  her,  "  why  can't  I  rule  my  own 
household,  why  can't  I  govern  my  own  child  ?  " 

"  Why  can't  you  govern  yourself  ?  "  said  Shirley 
quietly. 

Ryder  looked  keenly  at  her  for  a  moment  without 
answering  her  question;  then,  as  if  prompted  by  a 
sudden  inspiration,  he  said : 

"  You  can  help  me,  but  not  by  preaching  at  me. 
This  is  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  ever  called  on  a 

353 


THE    LION   & 

living  soul  for  help.  I'm  only  accustomed  to  deal 
with  men.  This  time  there's  a  woman  in  the  case— 
and  I  need  your  woman's  wit " 

"  How  can  I  help  you?  "  asked  Shirley. 

"  I  don't  know,"  he  answered  with  suppressed  ex 
citement.  "  As  I  told  you,  I  am  up  against  a  blank 
wall.  I  can't  see  my  way."  He  gave  a  nervous  little 
laugh  and  went  on :  "  God !  I'm  ashamed  of  myself— 
ashamed!  Did  you  ever  read  the  fable  of  the  Lion 
and  the  Mouse?  Well,  I  want  you  to  gnaw  with  your 
sharp  woman's  teeth  at  the  cords  which  bind  the  son 
of  John  Burkett  Ryder  to  this  Rossmore  woman.  I 
want  you  to  be  the  mouse— to  set  me  free  of  this  dis 
graceful  entanglement." 

"  How  ?  asked  Shirley  calmly. 

"Ah,  that's  just  it— how?"  he  replied.  "Can't 
you  think— you're  a  woman— you  have  youth,  beauty 
—brains."  He  stopped  and  eyed  her  closely  until 
she  reddened  from  the  embarrassing  scrutiny.  Then 
he  blurted  out :  "  By  George !  marry  him  yourself— 
force  him  to  let  go  of  this  other  woman!  Why  not? 
Come,  what  do  you  say?" 

This  unexpected  suggestion  came  upon  Shirley  with 
all  the  force  of  a  violent  shock.  She  immediately  saw 
the  falseness  of  her  position.  This  man  was  asking 
for  her  hand  for  his  son  under  the  impression  that 

354 


THE   MOUSE 

she  was  another  woman.  It  would  be  dishonorable 
of  her  to  keep  up  the  deception  any  longer.  She 
passed  her  hand  over  her  face  to  conceal  her  con 
fusion. 

"  You — you  must  give  me  time  to  think,"  she  stam 
mered.  "  Suppose  I  don't  love  your  son — I  should 
want  something — something  to  compensate." 

"  Something  to  compensate  ?  "  echoed  Ryder  sur 
prised  and  a  little  disconcerted.  "  Why,  the  boy 
will  inherit  millions — I  don't  know  how  many." 

"  No — no,  not  money,"  rejoined  Shirley ;  "  money 
only  compensates  those  who  love  money.  It's  some 
thing  else — a  man's  honour — a  man's  life!  It  means 
nothing  to  you." 

He  gazed  at  her,  not  understanding.  Full  of  his 
own  project,  he  had  mind  for  nothing  else.  Ignoring 
therefore  the  question  of  compensation,  whatever  she 
might  mean  by  that,  he  continued: 

"  You  can  win  him  if  you  make  up  your  mind  to. 
A  woman  with  your  resources  can  blind  him  to  any 
other  woman." 

"  But  if — he  loves  Judge  Rossmore's  daughter  ?  " 
objected  Shirley. 

"  It's  for  you  to  make  him  forget  her — and  you 
can,"  replied  the  financier  confidently.  "  My  desire  is 
to  separate  him  from  this  Rossmore  woman  at  any 

355 


THE    LION  & 

cost.  You  must  help  me."  His  sternness  relaxed 
somewhat  and  his  eyes  rested  on  her  kindly.  "  Do 
you  know,  I  should  be  glad  to  think  you  won't  have 
to  leave  us.  Mrs.  Ryder  has  taken  a  fancy  to  you,  and 
I  myself  shall  miss  you  when  you  go." 

"  You  ask  me  to  be  your  son's  wife  and  you  know 
nothing  of  my  family,"  said  Shirley. 

"  I  know  you — that  is  sufficient,"  he  replied. 

«  No — no  you  don't,"  returned  Shirley,  "  nor  do  you 
know  your  son.  He  has  more  constancy — more 
strength  of  character  than  you  think — and  far  more 
principle  than  you  have." 

"  So  much  the  greater  the  victory  for  you,"  he 
answered  good  humouredly. 

"  Ah,"  she  said  reproachfully,  "  you  do  not  love 
your  son." 

"  I  do  love  him,"  replied  Ryder  warmly.  "  It's  be 
cause  I  love  him  that  I'm  such  a  fool  in  this  matter. 
Don't  you  see  that  if  he  marries  this  girl  it  would 
separate  us,  and  I  should  lose  him.  I  don't  want  to 
lose  him.  If  I  welcomed  her  to  my  house  it  would 
make  me  the  laughing-stock  of  all  my  friends  and 
business  associates.  Come,  will  you  join  forces  with 
me?" 

Shirley  shook  her  head  and  was  about  to  reply  when 

356 


THE   MOUSE 

the  telephone  bell  rang.    Ryder  took  up  the  receiver 
and  spoke  to  the  butler  downstairs: 

"Who's  that?  Judge  Stott?  Tell  him  I'm  too 
busy  to  see  anyone.  What's  that?  A  man's  life  at 
stake?  What's  that  to  do  with  me?  Tell  him— 

On  hearing  Stott's  name,  Shirley  nearly  betrayed 
herself.  She  turned  pale  and  half-started  up  from 
her  chair.  Something  serious  must  have  happened 
to  bring  her  father's  legal  adviser  to  the  Ryder  resi 
dence  at  such  an  hour!  She  thought  he  was  in 
Washington.  Could  it  be  that  the  proceedings  in  the 
Senate  were  ended  and  the  result  known?  She  could 
hardly  conceal  her  anxiety,  and  instinctively  she  placed 
her  hand  on  Ryder's  arm. 

"  No,  Mr.  Ryder,  do  see  Judge  Stott !  You  must 
see  him.  I  know  who  he  is.  Your  son  has  told  me. 
Judge  Stott  is  one  of  Judge  Rossmore's  advisers. 
See  him.  You  may  find  out  something  about  the  girl. 
You  may  find  out  where  she  is.  If  Jefferson  finds  out 
you  have  refused  to  see  her  father's  friend  at  such 
a  critical  time  it  will  only  make  him  sympathize  more 
deeply  with  the  Rossmores,  and  you  know  sympathy 
is  akin  to  love.  That's  what  you  want  to  avoid,  isn't 
it?" 

Ryder  still  held  the  telephone,  hesitating  what  to 
do.  What  she  said  sounded  like  good  sense. 

357 


THE   LION  & 

'Upon  my  word —    he  said.     "You  may  be  right 
and  yet " 

"  Am  I  to  help  you  or  not  ? "  demanded  Shirley. 
"  You  said  you  wanted  a  woman's  wit." 

"  Yes,"  said  Ryder,  "  but  still " 

"  Then  you  had  better  see  him,"  she  said  em 
phatically. 

Ryder  turned  to  the  telephone. 

"  Hello,  Jorkins,  are  you  there  ?  Show  Judge  Stott 
up  here."  He  laid  the  receiver  down  and  turned  again 
to  Shirley.  "  That's  one  thing  I  don't  like  about  you," 
he  said.  "  I  allow  you  to  decide  against  me  and  then 
I  agree  with  you."  She  said  nothing  and  he  went  on 
looking  at  her  admiringly.  "  I  predict  that  you'll 
bring  that  boy  to  your  feet  within  a  month.  '  I  don't 
know  why,  but  I  seem  to  feel  that  he  is  attracted  to 
you  already.  Thank  Heaven!  you  haven't  a  lot  of 
troublesome  relations.  I  think  you  said  you  were 
almost  alone  in  the  world.  Don't  look  so  serious,"  he 
added  laughing.  "  Jeff  is  a  fine  fellow,  and  believe 
me  an  excellent  catch  as  the  world  goes." 

Shirley  raised  her  hand  as  if  entreating  him  to  de 
sist. 

"  Oh,    don't — don't — please !      My    position    i«    so 
false !    You  don't  know  how  false  it  is !  "  she  cried. 
At  that  instant  the  library  door  was  thrown  open 

358 


THE    MOUSE 

and  the  butler  appeared,  ushering  in  Stott.  The  law 
yer  looked  anxious,  and  his  dishevelled  appearance  in 
dicated  that  he  had  come  direct  from  the  train.  Shir 
ley  scanned  his  face  narrowly  in  the  hope  that  she 
might  read  there  what  had  happened.  He  walked 
right  past  her,  giving  no  sign  of  recognition,  and  ad 
vanced  direct  towards  Ryder,  who  had  risen  and  re 
mained  standing  at  his  desk. 

"  Perhaps  I  had  better  go  ?  "  ventured  Shirley,  al 
though  tortured  by  anxiety  to  hear  the  news  from 
Washington. 

"  No,"  said  Ryder  quickly,  "  Judge  Stott  will  detain 
me  but  a  very  few  moments." 

Having  delivered  himself  of  this  delicate  hint,  he 
looked  towards  his  visitor  as  if  inviting  him  to  come 
to  the  point  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

"  I  must  apologize  for  intruding  at  this  unseemly 
hour,  sir,"  said  Stott,  "  but  time  is  precious.  The 
Senate  meets  to-morrow  to  vote.  If  anything  is  to 
be  done  for  Judge  Rossmore  it  must  be  done  to-night." 

"  I  fail  to  see  why  you  address  yourself  to  me  in 
this  matter,  sir,"  replied  Ryder  with  asperity. 

"  As  Judge  Rossmore's  friend  and  counsel,"  an 
swered  Stott,  "  I  am  impelled  to  ask  your  help  at 
this  critical  moment." 

359 


THE   LION  & 

"  The  matter  is  in  the  hands  of  the  United  States 
Senate,  sir,"  replied  Ryder  coldly. 

"  They  are  against  him !  "  cried  Stott ;  "  not  one 
senator  I've  spoken  to  holds  out  any  hope  for  him. 
If  he  is  convicted  it  will  mean  his  death.  Inch  by  inch 
his  life  is  leaving  him.  The  only  thing  that  can  save 
him  is  the  good  news  of  the  Senate's  refusal  to  find 
him  guilty." 

Stott  was  talking  so  excitedly  and  loudly  that 
neither  he  nor  Ryder  heard  the  low  moan  that  came 
from  the  corner  of  the  room  where  Shirley  was 
standing  listening. 

"  I  can  do  nothing,"  repeated  Ryder  coldly,  and  he 
turned  his  back  and  began  to  examine  some  papers 
lying  on  his  desk  as  if  to  notify  the  caller  that  the 
interview  was  ended.  But  Stott  was  not  so  easily 
discouraged.  He  went  on: 

"  As  I  understand  it,  they  will  vote  on  strictly  party 
lines,  and  the  party  in  power  is  against  him.  He's  a 
marked  man.  You  have  the  power  to  help  him." 
Heedless  of  Ryder's  gesture  of  impatience  he  con 
tinued  :  "  When  I  left  his  bedside  to-night,  sir,  I 
promised  to  return  to  him  with  good  news;  I  have 
told  him  that  the  Senate  ridicules  the  charges  against 
him.  I  must  return  to  him  with  good  news.  He  is 
very  ill  to-night,  sir."  He  halted  for  a  moment  and 

360 


THE   MOUSE 

glanced  in  Shirley's  direction,  and  slightly  raising 
his  voice  so  she  might  hear,  he  added :  "  If  he  gets 
worse  we  shall  send  for  his  daughter." 

"  Where  is  his  daughter  ?  "  demanded  Ryder,  sud 
denly  interested. 

"  She  is  working  in  her  father's  interests,"  replied 
Stott,  and,  he  added  significantly,  "  I  believe  with  some 
hope  of  success." 

He  gave  Shirley  a  quick,  questioning  look.  She 
nodded  affirmatively.  Ryder,  who  had  seen  nothing  of 
this  by-play,  said  with  a  sneer: 

"  Surely  you  didn't  come  here  to-night  to  tell  me 
this?" 

"  No,  sir,  I  did  not."  He  took  from  his  pocket  two 
letters — the  two  which  Shirley  had  sent  him — and  held 
them  out  for  Ryder's  inspection.  "  These  letters  from 
Judge  Rossmore  to  you,"  he  said,  "  show  you  to  be 
acquainted  with  the  fact  that  he  bought  those  shares 
as  an  investment — and  did  not  receive  them  as  a 
bribe." 

When  he  caught  sight  of  the  letters  and  he  realized 
what  they  were,  Ryder  changed  colour.  Instinctively 
his  eyes  sought  the  drawer  on  the  left-hand  side  of  his 
desk.  In  a  voice  that  was  unnaturally  calm,  he  asked : 

"  Why  don't  you  produce  them  before  the  Senate  ?  " 

"  It  was  too  late,"  explained  Stott,  handing  them  to 

361 


THE    LION  & 

the  financier.     "  I  received  them  only  two  days  ago. 
But  if  you  come  forward  and  declare " 

Ryder  made  an  effort  to  control  himself. 

"  I'll  do  nothing  of  the  kind.  I  refuse  to  move  in 
the  matter.  That  is  final.  And  now,  sir,"  he  added, 
raising  his  voice  and  pointing  to  the  letters,  "  I  wish 
to  know  how  comes  it  that  you  had  in  your  possession 
private  correspondence  addressed  to  me  ?  " 

"  That  I  cannot  answer,"  replied  Stott  promptly. 

"  From  whom  did  you  receive  these  letters  ?  "  de 
manded  Ryder. 

Stott  was  dumb,  while  Shirley  clutched  at  her  chair 
as  if  she  would  fall.  The  financier  repeated  the  ques 
tion. 

"  I  must  decline  to  answer,"  replied  Stott  finally. 

Shirley  left  her  place  and  came  slowly  forward. 
Addressing  Ryder,  she  said : 

"  I  wish  to  make  a  statement." 

The  financier  gazed  at  her  in  astonishment.  What 
could  she  know  about  it,  he  wondered,  and  he  waited 
with  curiosity  to  hear  what  she  was  going  to  say.  But 
Stott  instantly  realized  that  she  was  about  to  take  the 
blame  upon  herself,  regardless  of  the  consequences  to 
the  success  of  their  cause.  This  must  be  prevented 
at  all  hazards,  even  if  another  must  be  sacrificed,  so 
interrupting  her  he  said  hastily  to  Ryder: 

362 


THE   MOUSE 

"  Judge  Rossmore's  life  and  honour  are  at  stake  and 
no  false  sense  of  delicacy  must  cause  the  failure  of 
my  object  to  save  him.  These  letters  were  sent  to  me 
by — your  son." 

"  From  my  son !  "  exclaimed  Ryder,  starting.  For 
a  moment  he  staggered  as  if  he  had  received  a  blow ; 
he  was  too  much  overcome  to  speak  or  act.  Then 
recovering  himself,  he  rang  a  bell,  and  turned  to 
Stott  with  renewed  fury : 

"  So,"  he  cried,  "  this  man,  this  judge  whose  honour 
is  at  stake  and  his  daughter,  who  most  likely  has  no 
honour  at  stake,  between  them  have  made  a  thief  and 
a  liar  of  my  son !  false  to  his  father,  false  to  his  party ; 
and  you,  sir,  have  the  presumption  to  come  here  and 
ask  me  to  intercede  for  him !  "  To  the  butler,  who 
entered,  he  said :  "  See  if  Mr.  Jefferson  is  still  in  the 
house.  If  he  is,  tell  him  I  would  like  to  see  him  here 
at  once." 

The  man  disappeared,  and  Ryder  strode  angrily  up 
and  down  the  room  with  the  letters  in  his  hand.  Then, 
turning  abruptly  on  Stott,  he  said : 

"  And  now,  sir,  I  think  nothing  more  remains  to 
be  said.  I  shall  keep  these  letters,  as  they  are  my 
property." 

"  As  you  please.    Good  night,  sir." 

"  Good  night,"  replied  Ryder,  not  looking  up. 

363 


THE    LION   & 

With  a  significant  glance  at  Shirley,  who  motioned 
to  httn  that  she  might  yet  succeed  where  he  had  failed, 
Stott  left  the  room.  Ryder  turned  to  Shirley.  His 
fierceness  of  manner  softened  down  as  he  addressed 
the  girl: 

"  You  see  what  they  have  done  to  my  son " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Shirley,  "  it's  the  girl's  fault.  If 
Jefferson  hadn't  loved  her  you  would  have  helped 
the  judge.  Ah,  why  did  they  ever  meet!  She  has 
worked  on  his  sympathy  and  he — he  took  these  letters 
for  her  sake,  not  to  injure  you.  Oh,  you  must  make 
some  allowance  for  him!  One's  sympathy  gets 
aroused  in  spite  of  oneself;  even  I  feel  sorry  for — 
these  people." 

"  Don  V  replied  Ryder  grimly,  "  sympathy  is  often 
weakness.  Ah,  there  you  are !  "  turning  to  Jefferson, 
who  entered  the  room  at  that  moment. 

"You  sent  for  me,  father?" 

"Yes,"  said  Ryder,  Sr.,  holding  up  the  letters. 
"Have  you  ever  seen  these  letters  before?" 

Jefferson  took  the  letters  and  examined  them,  then 
he  passed  them  back  to  his  father  and  said  frankly: 

"  Yes,  I  took  them  out  of  your  desk  and  sent  them 
to  Mr.  Stott  in  the  hope  they  would  help  Judge  Ross- 
more's  case." 

Ryder  restrained  himself  from  proceeding  to  actual 

364 


THE   MOUSE 

violence  only  with  the  greatest  difficulty.  His  face 
grew  white  as  death,  his  lips  were  compressed,  his 
hands  twitched  convulsively,  his  eyes  flashed  dan 
gerously.  He  took  another  cigar  to  give  the  im 
pression  that  he  had  himself  well  under  control,  but 
the  violent  trembling  of  his  hands  as  he  lit  it  betrayed 
the  terrific  strain  he  was  under. 

"  So !  "  he  said,  "  you  deliberately  sacrificed  my 
interests  to  save  this  woman's  father — you  hear  him, 
Miss  Green?  Jefferson,  my  boy,  I  think  it's  time  you 
and  I  had  a  final  accounting." 

Shirley  made  a  motion  as  if  about  to  withdraw. 
He  stopped  her  with  a  gesture. 

"  Please  don't  go,  Miss  Green.  As  the  writer  of 
my  biography  you  are  sufficiently  well  acquainted 
with  my  family  affairs  to  warrant  your  being  present 
at  the  epilogue.  Besides,  I  want  an  excuse  for  keeping 
my  temper.  Sit  down,  Miss  Green." 

Turning  to  Jefferson,  he  went  on: 

"  For  your  mother's  sake,  my  boy,  I  have  over 
looked  your  little  eccentricities  of  character.  But 
now  we  have  arrived  at  the  parting  of  the  ways — 
you  have  gone  too  far.  The  one  aspect  of  this  busi 
ness  I  cannot  overlook  is  your  willingness  to  sell 
your  own  father  for  the  sake  of  a  woman." 

"  My   own   father,"   interrupted   Jeifersofi   bitterly, 

365 


THE    LION  & 

"  would  not  hesitate  to  sell  me  if  his  business  and  politi 
cal  interests  warranted  the  sacrifice !  " 

Shirley  attempted  the  role  of  peacemaker.  Ap 
pealing  to  the  younger  man,  she  said: 

"  Please  don't  talk  like  that,  Mr.  Jefferson."  Then 
she  turned  to  Ryder,  Sr. :  "  I  don't  think  your  son 
quite  understands  you,  Mr.  Ryder,  and,  if  you  will 
pardon  me,  I  don't  think  you  quite  understand  him. 
Do  you  realize  that  there  is  a  man's  life  at  stake — that 
Judge  Rossmore  is  almost  at  the  point  of  death  and 
that  favourable  news  from  the  Senate  to-morrow  is 
perhaps  the  only  thing  that  can  save  him  ?  " 

"Ah,  I  see,"  sneered  Ryder,  Sr.  "Judge  Stott's 
story  has  aroused  your  sympathy." 

"  Yes,  I — I  confess  my  sympathy  is  aroused.  I  do 
feel  for  this  father  whose  life  is  slowly  ebbing  away — 
whose  strength  is  being  sapped  hourly  by  the  thought 
of  the  disgrace — the  injustice  that  is  being  done  him! 
I  do  feel  for  the  wife  of  this  suffering  man !  " 

"  Ah,  its  a  complete  picture !  "  cried  Ryder  mock 
ingly.  The  dying  father,  the  sorrowing  mother— 
and  the  daughter,  what  is  she  supposed  to  be  doing  ?  " 

"  She  is  fighting  for  her  father's  life,"  cried  Shir 
ley,  "  and  you,  Mr.  Jefferson,  should  have  pleaded — 
pleaded — not  demanded.  It's  no  use  trying  to  combat 
your  father's  will." 

366 


THE   MOUSE 

"  She  is  quite  right,  father  I  should  have  im 
plored  you.  I  do  so  now.  I  ask  you  for  God's  sake 
to  help  us !  " 

Ryder  was  grim  and  silent.  He  rose  from  his  seat 
and  paced  the  room,  puffing  savagely  at  his  cigar. 
Then  he  turned  and  said: 

"  His  removal  is  a  political  necessity.  If  he  goes 
back  on  the  bench  every  paltry  justice  of  the  peace, 
every  petty  official  will  think  he  has  a  special  mission 
to  tear  down  the  structure  that  hard  work  and  cap 
ital  have  erected.  No,  this  man  has  been  especially 
conspicuous  in  his  efforts  to  block  the  progress  of 
amalgamated  interests." 

"  And  so  he  must  be  sacrificed  ?  "  cried  Shirley  in 
dignantly. 

"  He  is  a  meddlesome  man,"  insisted  Ryder 
and » 

"  He  is  innocent  of  the  charges  brought  against 
him,"  urged  Jefferson. 

"  Mr.  Ryder  is  not  considering  that  point,"  said 
Shirley  bitterly.  "  All  he  can  see  is  that  it  is  neces 
sary  to  put  this  poor  old  man  in  the  public  pillory, 
to  set  him  up  as  a  warning  to  others  of  his  class  not  to 
act  in  accordance  with  the  principles  of  Truth  and 
Justice — not  to  dare  to  obstruct  the  car  of  Juggernaut 
set  in  motion  by  the  money  gods  of  the  country !  " 

367 


THE   LION   & 

"  It's  the  survival  of  the  fittest,  my  dear/'  said 
Ryder  coldly. 

"  Oh !  "  cried  Shirley,  making  a  last  appeal  to  the 
financier's  heart  of  stone,  "  use  your  great  influence 
with  this  governing  body  for  good,  not  evil!  Urge 
them  to  vote  not  in  accordance  with  party  policy  and 
personal  interest,  but  in  accordance  with  their  con 
sciences — in  accordance  with  Truth  and  Justice!  Ah, 
for  God's  sake,  Mr.  Ryder!  don't  permit  this  foul  in 
justice  to  blot  the  name  of  the  highest  tribunal  in  the 
Western  world !  " 

Ryder  laughed  cynically. 

"By  Jove!  Jefferson,  I  give  you  credit  for  hav 
ing  secured  an  eloquent  advocate !  " 

"  Suppose,"  went  on  Shirley,  ignoring  his  taunting 
comments,  "  suppose  this  daughter  promises  that  she 
will  never — never  see  your  son  again — that  she  will 
go  away  to  some  foreign  country !  " 

"  No !  "  burst  in  Jefferson,  "  why  should  she?  If  my 
father  is  not  man  enough  to  do  a  simple  act  of  justice 
without  bartering  a  woman's  happiness  and  his  son's 
happiness,  let  him  find  comfort  in  his  self- justifica 
tion  !  " 

Shirley,  completely  unnerved,  made  a  move  towards 
the  door,  unable  longer  to  bear  the  strain  she  was 
under.  She  tottered  as  though  she  would  fall.  Ryder 

368 


THE    MOUSE 

made  a  quick  movement  towards  his  son  and  took 
him  by  the  arm.  Pointing  to  Shirley  he  said  in  a  low 
tone: 

"  You  see  how  that  girl  pleads  your  cause  for  you ! 
She  loves  you,  my  boy !  "  Jefferson  started.  "  Yes, 
she  does,"  pursued  Ryder,  Sr.  "  She's  worth  a  thou 
sand  of  the  Rossmore  woman.  Make  her  your  wife 
and  I'll— 

"  Make  her  my  wife !  "  cried  Jefferson  joyously. 
He  stared  at  his  parent  as  if  he  thought  he  had 
suddenly  been  bereft  of  his  senses. 

"Make  her  my  wife?"  he  repeated  incredulously. 

"  Well,  what  do  you  say  ?  "  demanded  Ryder,  Sr. 

The  young  man  advanced  towards  Shirley,  hando 
outstretched. 

"  Yes,  yes,  Shir — Miss  Green,  will  you  ?  "  Seeing 
that  Shirley  made  no  sign,  he  said :  "  Not  now, 
father ;  I  will  speak  to  her  later." 

"  No,  no,  to-night,  at  once !  "  insisted  Ryder.  Ad 
dressing  Shirley,  he  went  on :  "  Miss  Green,  my  son 
is  much  affected  by  your  disinterested  appeal  in  his 
behalf.  He — he — you  can  save  him  from  himself — 
my  son  wishes  you — he  asks  you  to  become  his  wife! 
Is  it  not  so,  Jefferson  ?  " 

"  Yes,  yes,  my  wife !  "  advancing  again  towards 
Shirley. 

369 


THE  LION  & 

The  girl  shrank  back  in  alarm. 

"  No,  no,  no,  Mr.  Ryder,  I  cannot,  I  cannot ! "  she 
cried. 

"  Why  not  ? "  demanded  Ryder,  Sr.  appealingly. 
"  Ah,  don't— don't  decide  hastily— 

Shirley,  her  face  set  and  drawn  and  keen  mental 
distress  showing  in  every  line  of  it,  faced  the  two  men, 
pale  and  determined.  The  time  had  come  to  reveal 
the  truth.  This  masquerade  could  go  on  no  longer. 
It  was  not  honourable  either  to  her  father  or  to  her 
self.  Her  self-respect  demanded  that  she  inform  the 
financier  of  her  true  identity. 

"  I  cannot  marry  your  son  with  these  lies  upon  my 
lips !  "  she  cried.  "  I  cannot  go  on  with  this  decep 
tion.  I  told  you  you  did  not  know  who  I  was,  who 
my  people  were.  My  story  about  them,  my  name, 
everything  about  me  is  false,  every  word  I  have 
uttered  is  a  lie,  a  fraud,  a  cheat!  I  would  not  tell 
you  now,  but  you  trusted  me  and  are  willing  to  entrust 
your  son's  future,  your  family  honour  in  my  keeping, 
and  I  can't  keep  back  the  truth  from  you.  Mr.  Ryder, 
I  am  the  daughter  of  the  man  you  hate.  I  am  the 
woman  your  son  loves.  I  am  Shirley  Rossmore !  " 

Ryder  took  his  cigar  from  his  lips  and  rose  slowly 
to  his  feet. 

"  You  ?    You  ?  "  he  stammered. 
370 


THE  MOUSE 

"  Yes — yes,  I  am  the  Rossmore  woman !  Listen,  Mr. 
Ryder.  Don't  turn  away  from  me.  Go  to  Wash 
ington  on  behalf  of  my  father,  and  I  promise  you  I  will 
never  see  your  son  again — never,  never !  " 

"Ah,  Shirley!"  cried  Jefferson,  "you  don't  love 
me!" 

"Yes,  Jeff,  I  do;  God  knows  I  do!  But  if  I  must 
break  my  own  heart  to  save  my  father  I  will  do  it." 

"  Would  you  sacrifice  my  happiness  and  your 
own?" 

"  No  happiness  can  be  built  on  lies,  Jeff.  We  must 
build  on  truth  or  our  whole  house  will  crumble  and 
fall.  We  have  deceived  your  father,  but  he  will  for 
give  that,  won't  you  ?  "  she  said,  appealing  to  Ryder, 
"  and  you  will  go  to  Washington,  you  will  save  my 
father's  honour,  his  life,  you  will ?  " 

They  stood  face  to  face — this  slim,  delicate  girl 
battling  for  her  father's  life,  arrayed  against  a  cold 
blooded,  heartless,  unscrupulous  man,  deaf  to  every 
'impulse  of  human  sympathy  or  pity.  Since  this 
woman  had  deceived  him,  fooled  him,  he  would  deal 
with  her  as  with  everyone  else  who  crossed  his  will. 
She  laid  her  hand  on  his  arm,  pleading  with  him. 
Brutally,  savagely,  he  thrust  her  aside. 

"  No,  no,  I  will  not !  "  he  thundered.  "  You  have 
wormed  yourself  into  my  confidence  by  means  of  lies 

371 


THE   LION  & 

and  deceit.  You  have  tricked  me,  fooled  me  to  the 
very  limit!  Oh,  it  is  easy  to  see  how  you  have  be 
guiled  my  son  into  the  folly  of  loving  you !  And  you 
— you  have  the  brazen  effrontery  to  ask  me  to  plead 
for  your  father  ?  No !  No !  No !  Let  the  law  take  its 
course,  and  now  Miss  Rossmore — you  will  please  leave 
my  house  to-morrow  morning !  " 

Shirley  stood  listening  to  what  he  had  to  say, 
her  face  white,  her  mouth  quivering.  At  last  the 
crisis  had  come.  It  was  a  fight  to  the  finish  between 
this  man,  the  incarnation  of  corporate  greed  and  her 
self,  representing  the  fundamental  principles  of  right 
and  justice.  She  turned  on  him  in  a  fury: 

"  Yes,  I  will  leave  your  house  to-night !  Do  you 
think  I  would  remain  another  hour  beneath  the  roof 
of  a  man  who  is  as  blind  to  justice,  as  deaf  to  mercy, 
as  incapable  of  human  sympathy  as  you  are !  " 

She  raised  her  voice;  and  as  she  stood  there  de 
nouncing  the  man  of  money,  her  eyes  flashing  and  her 
head  thrown  back,  she  looked  like  some  avenging 
angel  defying  one  of  the  powers  of  Evil. 

"  Leave  the  room !  "  shouted  Ryder,  beside  himself, 
and  pointing  to  the  door. 

"  Father !  "  cried  Jefferson,  starting  forward  to  pro 
tect  the  girl  he  loved. 

372 


THE   MOUSE 

"  You  have  tricked  him  as  you  have  me ! "  thundered 
Ryder. 

"  It  is  your  own  vanity  that  has  tricked  you !  "  cried 
Shirley  contemptuously.  "  You  lay  traps  for  yourself 
and  walk  into  them.  You  compel  everyone  around 
you  to  lie  to  you,  to  cajole  you,  to  praise  you,  to 
deceive  you !  At  least,  you  cannot  accuse  me  of  flat 
tering  you.  I  have  never  fawned  upon  you  as  you 
compel  your  family  and  your  friends  and  your  de 
pendents  to  do.  I  have  always  appealed  to  your  better 
nature  by  telling  you  the  truth,  and  in  your  heart 
you  know  that  I  am  speaking  the  truth  now." 

"  Go !  "  he  commanded. 

"  Yes,  let  us  go,  Shirley ! "  said  Jefferson. 

"  No,  Jeff,  I  came  here  alone  and  I'm  going  alone !  " 

"You  are  not.  I  shall  go  with  you.  I  intend  to 
make  you  my  wife !" 

Ryder  laughed  scornfully. 

"  No,"  cried  Shirley.  "  Do  you  think  I'd  marry  a 
man  whose  father  is  as  deep  a  discredit  to  the  human 
race  as  your  father  is?  No,  I  wouldn't  marry  the 
son  of  such  a  merciless  tyrant !  He  refuses  to  lift  his 
voice  to  save  my  father.  I  refuse  to  marry  his  son !  " 

She  turned  on  Ryder  with  all  the  fury  of  a  tiger: 

"  You  think  if  you  lived  in  the  olden  days  you'd  be 
a  Caesar  or  an  Alexander.  But  you  wouldn't!  You'd 

373 


THE  LION   & 

be  a  Nero — a  Nero!  Sink  my  self-respect  to  the 
extent  of  marrying  into  your  family ! "  she  exclaimed 
contemptuously.  "  Never !  I  am  going  to  Washing 
ton  without  your  aid.  I  am  going  to  save  my  father 
if  I  have  to  go  on  my  knees  to  every  United  States 
Senator.  I'll  go  to  the  White  House;  I'll  tell  the 
President  what  you  are !  Marry  your  son — no,  thank 
you !  No,  thank  you !  " 

Exhausted  by  the  vehemence  of  her  passionate  out 
burst,  Shirley  hurried  from  the  room,  leaving  Ryder 
speechless,  staring  at  his  son. 


374 


THE    MOUSE 


CHAPTER   XVI 

WHEN  Shirley  reached  her  rooms  she  broke 
down  completely,  she  threw  herself  upon 
a  sofa  and  burst  into  a  fit  of  violent  sob 
bing.  After  all,  she  was  only  a  woman  and  the  ordeal 
through  which  she  had  passed  would  have  taxed  the 
strongest  powers  of  endurance.  She  had  borne  up 
courageously  while  there  remained  the  faintest  chance 
that  she  might  succeed  in  moving  the  financier  to  pity, 
but  now  that  all  hopes  in  that  direction  were  shattered 
and  she  herself  had  been  ordered  harshly  from  the 
house  like  any  ordinary  malefactor,  the  reaction  set 
in,  and  she  gave  way  freely  to  her  long  pent-up 
anguish  and  distress.  Nothing  now  could  save  her 
father — not  even  this  journey  to  Washington  which 
she  determined  to  take  nevertheless,  for,  according  to 
what  Stott  had  said,  the  Senate  was  to  take  a  vote 
that  very  night. 

She  looked  at  the  time — eleven  o'clock.  She  had  told 
Mr.  Ryder  that  she  would  leave  his  house  at  once, 
but  on  reflection  it  was  impossible  for  a  girl  alone  to 
seek  a  room  at  that  hour.  It  would  be  midnight 

375 


THE   LION   & 

before  she  could  get  her  things  packed.  No,  she 
would  stay  under  this  hated  roof  until  morning  and 
then  take  the  first  train  to  Washington.  There  was 
still  a  chance  that  the  vote  might  be  delayed,  in  which 
case  she  might  yet  succeed  in  winning  over  some  of 
the  senators.  She  began  to  gather  her  things  together 
and  was  thus  engaged  when  she  heard  a  knock 
at  her  door. 

"  Who's  there?  "  she  called  out. 

"  It's  I,"  replied  a  familiar  voice. 

Shirley  went  to  the  door  and  opening  it  found  Jef 
ferson  on  the  threshold.  He  made  no  attempt  to 
enter,  nor  did  she  invite  him  in.  He  looked  tired  and 
careworn. 

"Of  course,  you're  not  going  to-night?"  he  asked 
anxiously.  "  My  father  did  not  mean  to-night." 

"  No,  Jeff,"  she  said  wearily ;  "  not  to-night.  It's 
a  little  too  late.  I  did  not  realize  it.  To-morrow 
morning,  early." 

He  seemed  reassured  and  held  out  his  hand: 

"  Good-night,  dearest — you're  a  brave  girl.  You 
made  a  splendid  fight." 

"  It  didn't  do  much  good,"  she  replied  in  a  dis 
heartened,  listless  way. 

"  But  it  set  him  thinking,"  rejoined  Jefferson.  "  No 
one  ever  spoke  to  my  father  like  that  before.  It  did 

376 


THE   MOUSE 

him  good.  He's  still  marching  up  and  down  the  li 
brary,  chewing  the  cud " 

Noticing  Shirley's  tired  face  and  her  eyes,  with 
great  black  circles  underneath,  he  stopped  short. 

"  Now  don't  do  any  more  packing  to-night,"  he 
said.  "  Go  to  bed  and  in  the  morning  I'll  come  up  and 
help  you.  Good  night !  " 

"  Good  night,  Jeff,"  she  smiled. 

He  went  downstairs,  and  after  doing  some  more 
packing  she  went  to  bed.  But  it  was  hours  before  she 
got  to  sleep,  and  then  she  dreamed  that  she  was  in 
the  Senate  Chamber  and  that  she  saw  Ryder  suddenly 
rise  and  denounce  himself  before  the  astonished  sena 
tors  as  a  perjurer  and  traitor  to  his  country,  while 
she  returned  to  Massapequa  with  the  glad  news  that 
her  father  was  acquitted. 

Meantime,  a  solitary  figure  remained  in  the  library, 
pacing  to  and  fro  like  a  lost  soul  in  Purgatory.  Mrs. 
Ryder  had  returned  from  the  play  and  gone  to  bed, 
serenely  oblivious  of  the  drama  in  real  life  that  had 
been  enacted  at  home,  the  servants  locked  the  house 
up  for  the  night  and  still  John  Burkett  Ryder  walked 
the  floor  of  his  sanctum,  and  late  into  the  small  hours 
of  the  morning  the  watchman  going  his  lonely  rounds, 
saw  a  light  in  the  library  and  the  restless  figure  of 

377 


THE   LION  & 

his   employer   sharply   silhouetted   against   the   white 
blinds. 

For  the  first  time  in  his  life  John  Ryder  realized 
that  there  was  something  in  the  world  beyond  Self. 
He  had  seen  with  his  own  eyes  the  sacrifice  a  daughter 
will  make  for  the  father  she  loves,  and  he  asked  him 
self  what  manner  of  a  man  that  father  could  be  to 
inspire  such  devotion  in  his  child.  He  probed  into 
his  own  heart  and  conscience  and  reviewed  his  past 
career.  He  had  been  phenomenally  successful,  but  he 
had  not  been  happy.  He  had  more  money  than  he 
knew  what  to  do  with,  but  the  pleasures  of  the  domestic 
circle,  which  he  saw  other  men  enjoy,  had  been  denied 
to  him.  Was  he  himself  to  blame  ?  Had  his  insensate 
craving  for  gold  and  power  led  him  to  neglect  those 
other  things  in  life  which  contribute  more  truly  to 
man's  happiness?  In  other  words,  was  his  life  a 
mistake?  Yes,  it  was  true  what  this  girl  charged, 
he  had  been  merciless  and  unscrupulous  in  his  deal 
ings  with  his  fellow  man.  It  was  true  that  hardly 
a  dollar  of  his  vast  fortune  had  been  honestly  earned. 
It  was  true  that  it  had  been  wrung  from  the  people 
by  fraud  and  trickery.  He  had  craved  for  power,  yet 
now  he  had  tasted  it,  what  a  hollow  joy  it  was,  after 
all!  The  public  hated  and  despised  him;  even  his 
so-called  friends  and  business  associates  toadied  to 

378 


THE   MOUSE 

him  merely  because  they  feared  him.  And  this  judge 
— this  father  he  had  persecuted  and  ruined,  what  a 
better  man  and  citizen  he  was,  how  much  more  worthy 
of  a  child's  love  and  of  the  esteem  of  the  world! 
What  had  Judge  Rossmore  done,  after  all,  to  deserve 
the  frightful  punishment  the  amalgamated  interests 
had  caused  him  to  suffer?  If  he  had  blocked  their 
game,  he  had  done  only  what  his  oath,  his  duty  com 
manded  him  to  do.  Such  a  girl  as  Shirley  Rossmore 
could  not  have  had  any  other  kind  of  a  father.  Ah, 
if  he  had  had  such  a  daughter  he  might  have  been  a 
better  man,  if  only  to  win  his  child's  respect  and  affec 
tion.  John  Ryder  pondered  long  and  deeply  and 
the  more  he  ruminated  the  stronger  the  conviction 
grew  upon  him  that  the  girl  was  right  and  he  was 
wrong.  Suddenly,  he  looked  at  his  watch.  It  was  one 
o'clock.  Roberts  had  told  him  that  it  would  be  an  all 
night  session  and  that  a  vote  would  probably  not  be 
taken  until  very  late.  He  unhooked  the  telephone  and 
calling  "  central "  asked  for  "  long  distance "  and 
connection  with  Washington. 

It  was  seven  o'clock  when  the  maid  entered  Shir 
ley's  room  with  her  breakfast  and  she  found  its 
occupant  up  and  dressed. 

"  Why  you  haven't  been  to  bed,  Miss !  "  exclaime4 
379 


LION  & 


the  girl,  looking  at  the  bed  in  the  inner  room  which 
seemed  scarcely  disturbed. 

"  No,  Theresa  I  —  I  couldn't  sleep."  Hastily  pour 
ing  out  a  cup  of  tea  she  added.  "  I  must  catch  that 
nine  o'clock  train  to  Washington.  I  didn't  finish 
packing  until  nearly  three." 

"  Can  I  do  anything  for  you,  Miss  ?  "  inquired  the 
maid.  Shirley  was  as  popular  with  the  servants  as 
with  the  rest  of  the  household. 

"  No,"  answered  Shirley,  "  there  are  only  a  few 
things  to  go  in  my  suit  case.  Will  you  please  have  a 
cab  here  in  half  an  hour?" 

The  maid  was  about  to  go  when  she  suddenly 
thought  of  something  she  had  forgotten.  She  held 
out  an  envelope  which  she  had  left  lying  on  the  tray. 

"  Oh,  Miss,  Mr.  Jorkins  said  to  give  you  this  and 
master  wanted  to  see  you  as  soon  as  you  had  finished 
your  breakfast." 

Shirley  tore  open  the  envelope  and  took  out  the 
contents.  It  was  a  cheque,  payable  to  her  order  for 
$5,000  and  signed  "  John  Burkett  Ryder." 

A  deep  flush  covered  the  girl's  face  as  she  saw 
the  money  —  a  flush  of  annoyance  rather  than  of  pleas 
ure.  This  man  who  had  insulted  her,  who  had 
wronged  her  father,  who  had  driven  her  from  his 
home,  thought  he  could  throw  his  gold  at  her  and 


THE   MOUSE 

insolently  send  her  her  pay  as  one  settles  haughtily 
with  a  servant  discharged  for  impertinence.  She  would 
have  none  of  his  money — the  work  she  had  done  she 
would  make  him  a  present  of.  She  replaced  the 
cheque  in  the  envelope  and  passed  it  back  to  Theresa. 

"  Give  this  to  Mr.  Ryder  and  tell  him  I  cannot  see 
him." 

"  But  Mr.  Ryder  said "  insisted  the  girl. 

"  Please  deliver  my  message  as  I  give  it,"  com 
manded  Shirley  with  authority.  "  I  cannot  see  Mr. 
Ryder." 

The  maid  withdrew,  but  she  had  barely  closed  the 
door  when  it  was  opened  again  and  Mrs.  Ryder  rushed 
in,  without  knocking.  She  was  all  flustered  with  ex 
citement  and  in  such  a  hurry  that  she  had  not  even 
stopped  to  arrange  her  toilet. 

"  My  dear  Miss  Green,"  she  gasped ;  "  what's  this 
I  hear — going  away  suddenly  without  giving  me 
warning  ?  " 

"  I  wasn't  engaged  by  the  month,"  replied  Shirley 
drily. 

"  I  know,  dear,  I  know.  I  was  thinking  of  myself. 
I've  grown  so  used  to  you — how  shall  I  get  on  without 
you — no  one  understands  me  the  way  you  do.  Dear 
me!  The  whole  house  is  upset.  Mr.  Ryder  never 
went  to  bed  at  all  last  night.  Jefferson  is  going  away, 

381 ' 


THE   LION  & 

too — forever,  he  threatens.  If  he  hadn't  come  and 
woke  me  up  to  say  good-bye,  I  should  never  have 
known  you  intended  to  leave  us.  My  boy's  going — 
you're  going — everyone's  deserting  me !  " 

Mrs.  Ryder  was  not  accustomed  to  such  prolonged 
flights  of  oratory  and  she  sank  exhausted  on  a  chair, 
her  eyes  rilling  with  tears. 

"  Did  they  tell  you  who  I  am — the  daughter  of 
Judge  Rossmore  ?  "  demanded  Shirley. 

It  had  been  a  shock  to  Mrs.  Ryder  that  morning 
when  Jefferson  burst  into  his  mother's  room  before 
she  was  up  and  acquainted  her  with  the  events  of 
the  previous  evening.  The  news  that  the  Miss  Green 
whom  she  had  grown  to  love,  was  really  the  Miss 
Rossmore  of  whose  relations  with  Jefferson  her  hus 
band  stood  in  such  dread,  was  far  from  affecting  the 
financier's  wife  as  it  had  Ryder  himself.  To  the 
mother's  simple  and  ingenuous  mind,  free  from  preju 
dice  and  ulterior  motive,  the  girl's  character  was  more 
important  than  her  name,  and  certainly  she  could  not 
blame  her  son  for  loving  such  a  woman  as  Shirley. 
Of  course,  it  was  unfortunate  for  Jefferson  that  his 
father  felt  this  bitterness  towards  Judge  Rossmore, 
for  she  herself  could  hardly  have  wished  for  a  more 
sympathetic  daughter-in-law.  She  had  not  seen  her 
husband  since  the  previous  evening  at  dinner  so  was 

382 


THE    MOUSE 

in  complete  ignorance  as  to  what  he  thought  of  this 
new  development,  but  the  mother  sighed  as  she  thought 
how  happy  it  would  make  her  to  see  Jefferson  happily 
married  to  the  girl  of  his  own  choice,  and  in  her  heart 
she  still  entertained  the  hope  that  her  husband  would 
see  it  that  way  and  thus  prevent  their  son  from  leav 
ing  them  as  he  threatened. 

"  That's  not  your  fault,  my  dear,"  she  replied  an 
swering  Shirley's  question.  "  You  are  yourself — 
that's  the  main  thing.  You  mustn't  mind  what  Mr. 
Ryder  says?  Business  and  worry  makes  him  irritable 
at  times.  If  you  must  go,  of  course  you  must — you 
are  the  best  judge  of  that,  but  Jefferson  wants  to  see 
you  before  you  leave."  She  kissed  Shirley  in 
motherly  fashion,  and  added :  "  He  has  told  me  every 
thing,  dear.  Nothing  would  make  me  happier  than  to 
see  you  become  his  wife.  He's  downstairs  now  waiting 
for  me  to  tell  him  to  come  up." 

"  It's  better  that  I  should  not  see  him,'*  replied 
Shirley  slowly  and  gravely.  "  I  can  only  tell  him 
what  I  have  already  told  him.  My  father  comes  first. 
I  have  still  a  duty  to  perform." 

"  That's  right,  dear,"  answered  Mrs.  Ryder. 
"  You're  a  good,  noble  girl  and  I  admire  you  all  the 
more  for  it.  I'll  let  Jefferson  be  his  own  advocate. 
You'll  see  him  for  my  sake !  " 

383 


THE    LION   & 

She  gave  Shirley  another  affectionate  embrace  and 
left  the  room  while  the  girl  proceeded  with  her  final 
preparations  for  departure.  Presently  there  was  a 
quick,  heavy  step  in  the  corridor  outside  and  Jefferson 
appeared  in  the  doorway.  He  stood  there  waiting 
for  her  to  invite  him  in.  She  looked  up  and  greeted 
him  cordially,  yet  it  was  hardly  the  kind  of  reception 
he  looked  for  or  that  he  considered  he  had  a  right 
to  expect.  He  advanced  sulkily  into  the  room. 

"  Mother  said  she  had  put  everything  right,"  he 
began.  "  I  guess  she  was  mistaken." 

"  Your  mother  does  not  understand,  neither  do 
you,"  she  replied  seriously.  Nothing  can  be  put  right 
until  my  father  is  restored  to  honour  and  position." 

"  But  why  should  you  punish  me  because  my  father 
fails  to  regard  the  matter  as  we  do  ? "  demanded 
Jefferson  rebelliously. 

"  Why  should  I  punish  myself — why  should  we 
punish  those  nearest  and  dearest  ?  "  answered  Shirley 
gently,  "  the  victims  of  human  injustice  always  suffer 
where  their  loved  ones  are  tortured.  Why  are  things 
as  they  are — I  don't  know.  I  know  they  are — that's 
all." 

The  young  man  strode  nervously  up  and  down  the 
room  while  she  gazed  listlessly  out  of  the  window, 
looking  for  the  cab  that  was  to  carry  her  away  from 

384 


THE   MOUSE 

this  house  of  disappointment.     He  pleaded  with  her: 

"  I  have  tried  honourably  and  failed — you  have 
tried  honourably  and  failed.  Isn't  the  sting  of  im 
potent  failure  enough  to  meet  without  striving  against 
a  hopeless  love  ?  He  approached  her  and  said  softly : 
"  I  love  you  Shirley — don't  drive  me  to  desperation. 
Must  I  be  punished  because  you  have  failed?  It's 
unfair.  The  sins  of  the  fathers  should  not  be  visited 
upon  the  children." 

"  But  they  are — it's  the  law,"  said  Shirley  with 
resignation. 

"The  law?  "he  echoed. 

"  Yes,  the  law,"  insisted  the  girl ;  "  man's  law,  not 
God's,  the  same  unjust  law  that  punishes  my  father — 
man's  law  which  is  put  into  the  hands  of  the  powerful 
of  the  earth  to  strike  at  the  weak." 

She  sank  into  a  chair  and,  covering  up  her  face, 
wept  bitterly.  Between  her  sobs  she  cried  brokenly: 

"  I  believed  in  the  power  of  love  to  soften  your 
father's  heart,  I  believed  that  with  God's  help  I  could 
bring  him  to  see  the  truth.  I  believed  that  Truth 
and  Love  would  make  him  see  the  light,  but  it  hasn't. 
I  stayed  on  and  on,  hoping  against  hope  until  the 
time  has  gone  by  and  it's  too  late  to  save  him,  too 
late!  What  can  I  do  now?  My  going  to  Washington 
is  a  forlorn  hope,  a  last,  miserable,  forlorn  hope  and 

385 


THE   LION  & 

in  this  hour,  the  darkest  of  all,  you  ask  me  to  think 
of  myself — my  love,  your  love,  your  happiness,  your 
future,  my  future!  Ah,  wouldn't  it  be  sublime  sel 
fishness?" 

Jefferson  kneeled  down  beside  the  chair  and  taking 
her  hand  in  his,  tried  to  reason  with  her  and  com 
fort  her: 

"  Listen,  Shirley,"  he  said,  "  do  not  do  something 
you  will  surely  regret.  You  are  punishing  me  not 
only  because  I  have  failed  but  because  you  have  failed 
too.  It  seems  to  me  that  if  you  believed  it  possible 
to  accomplish  so  much,  if  you  had  so  much  faith — 
that  you  have  lost  your  faith  rather  quickly.  I  be 
lieved  in  nothing,  I  had  no  faith  and  yet  I  have  not 
lost  hope." 

She  shook  her  head  and  gently  withdrew  her  hand. 

"  It  is  useless  to  insist,  Jefferson — until  my  father 
is  cleared  of  this  stain  our  lives — yours  and  mine — 
must  lie  apart." 

Someone  coughed  and,  startled,  they  both  looked 
up.  Mr.  Ryder  had  entered  the  room  unobserved  and 
stood  watching  them.  Shirley  immediately  rose  to 
her  feet  indignant,  resenting  this  intrusion  on  her 
privacy  after  she  had  declined  to  receive  the  financier. 
Yet,  she  reflected  quickly,  how  could  she  prevent  it? 
He  was  at  home,  free  to  come  and  go  as  he  pleased, 

386 


THE   MOUSE 

but  she  was  not  compelled  to  remain  in  the  same  room 
with  him.  She  picked  up  the  few  things  that  lay 
about  and  with  a  contemptuous  toss  of  her  head,  re 
treated  into  the  inner  apartment,  leaving  father  and 
son  alone  together. 

"  Hum/'  grunted  Ryder,  Sr.  "I  rather  thought  I 
should  find  you  here,  but  I  didn't  quite  expect  to 
find  you  on  your  knees — dragging  our  pride  in  the 
mud." 

"  That's  where  our  pride  ought  to  be,"  retorted 
Jefferson  savagely.  He  felt  in  the  humor  to  say  any 
thing,  no  matter  what  the  consequences. 

"  So  she  has  refused  you  again,  eh  ?  "  said  Ryder, 
Sr.  with  a  grin. 

"  Yes,"  rejoined  Jefferson  with  growing  irritation, 
"  she  objects  to  my  family.  I  don't  blame  her." 

The  financier  smiled  grimly  as  he  answered: 

"  Your  family  in  general — me  in  particular,  eh  ?  I 
gleaned  that  much  when  I  came  in."  He  looked  to 
wards  the  door  of  the  room  in  which  Shirley  had  taken 
refuge  and  as  if  talking  to  himself  he  added :  "  A 
curious  girl  with  an  inverted  point  of  view — sees 
everything  different  to  others — I  want  to  see  her  be 
fore  she  goes." 

He  walked  over  to  the  door  and  raised  his  hand 
as  if  he  were  about  to  knock.  Then  he  stopped  as  if 

387 


THE   LION   & 

he  had  changed  his  mind  and  turning  towards  his  son 
he  demanded: 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  she  has  done  with  you?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Jefferson  bitterly. 

"Finally?" 

"Yes,  finally— forever!" 

"  Does  she  mean  it?  "  asked  Ryder,  Sr.,  sceptically. 

"Yes— she  will  not  listen  to  me  while  her  father 
is  still  in  peril." 

There  was  an  expression  of  half  amusement,  half 
admiration  on  the  financier's  face  as  he  again  turned 
towards  the  door. 

"  It's  like  her,  damn  it,  just  like  her !  "  he  muttered. 

He  knocked  boldly  at  the  door. 

"Who's  there?"  cried  Shirley  from  within. 

"  It  is  I— Mr.  Ryder.    I  wish  to  speak  to  you." 

"  I  must  beg  you  to  excuse  me,"  came  the  answer, 
"  I  cannot  see  you." 

Jefferson  interfered. 

"Why  do  you  want  to  add  to  the  girl's  misery? 
Don't  you  think  she  has  suffered  enough?" 

"Do  you  know  what  she  has  done?"  said  Ryder 
with  pretended  indignation.  "  She  has  insulted  me 
grossly.  I  never  was  so  humiliated  in  my  life.  She 
has  returned  the  cheque  I  sent  her  last  night  in 
payment  for  her  work  on  my  biography.  I  mean  to 

388 


THE    MOUSE 

make  her  take  that  money.  It's  hers,  she  needs  it, 
her  father's  a  beggar.  She  must  take  it  back.  It's 
only  flaunting  her  contempt  for  me  in  my  face  and 
I  won't  permit  it." 

"  I  don't  think  her  object  in  refusing  that  money 
was  to  flaunt  contempt  in  your  face,  or  in  any  way 
humiliate  you/'  answered  Jefferson.  "  She  feels  she 
has  been  sailing  under  false  colours  and  desires  to 
make  some  reparation." 

"  And  so  she  sends  me  back  my  money,  feeling  that 
will  pacify  me,  perhaps  repair  the  injury  she  has 
done  me,  perhaps  buy  me  into  entering  into  her  plan 
of  helping  her  father,  but  it  won't.  It  only  increases 

my  determination  to  see  her  and  her '  Suddenly 

changing  the  topic  he  asked :  "  When  do  you  leave 
us?" 

"  Now — at  once — that  is — I — don't  know,"  an 
swered  Jefferson  embarrassed."  The  fact  is  my  facul 
ties  are  numbed — I  seem  to  have  lost  my  power  of 
thinking.  Father,"  he  exclaimed,  "  you  see  what  a 
wreck  you  have  made  of  our  lives !  " 

"  Now,  don't  moralize,"  replied  his  father  testily, 
"  as  if  your  own  selfishness  in  desiring  to  possess 
that  girl  wasn't  the  mainspring  of  all  your  actions !  " 
Waving  his  son  out  of  the  room  he  added :  "  Now  leave 

389 


THE   LION  & 

me  alone  with  her  for  a  few  moments.     Perhaps  I 
can  make  her  listen  to  reason." 

Jefferson  stared  at  his  father  as  if  he  feared  he 
were  out  of  his  mind. 

"  What  do  you  mean?    Are  you — ?  "  he  ejaculated. 

"  Go — go  leave  her  to  me,"  commanded  the  finan 
cier.  "  Slam  the  door  when  you  go  out  and  she'll  think 
we've  both  gone.  Then  come  up  again  presently." 

The  stratagem  succeeded  admirably.  Jefferson 
gave  the  door  a  vigorous  pull  and  John  Ryder  stood 
quiet,  waiting  for  the  girl  to  emerge  from  sanctuary. 
He  did  not  have  to  wait  long.  The  door  soon  opened 
and  Shirley  came  out  slowly.  She  had  her  hat  on  and 
was  drawing  on  her  gloves,  for  through  her  window 
she  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  cab  standing  at 
the  curb.  She  started  on  seeing  Ryder  standing  there 
motionless,  and  she  would  have  retreated  had  he 
not  intercepted  her. 

"  I  wish  to  speak  to  you  Miss — Rossmore,"  he 
began. 

"  I  have  nothing  to  say,"  answered  Shirley  frigidly. 

"  Why  did  you  do  this  ?  "  he  asked,  holding  out  the 
cheque. 

"  Because  I  do  not  want  your  money,"  she  replied 
with  hauteur. 

"  It  was  yours — you  earned  it,"  he  said. 
390 


THE    MOUSE 

"  No,  I  came  here  hoping  to  influence  you  to  help 
my  father.  The  work  I  did  was  part  of  the  plan.  It 
happened  to  fall  my  way.  I  took  it  as  a  means  to 
get  to  your  heart." 

"  But  it  is  yours,  please  take  it.    It  will  be  useful." 

"  No,"  she  said  scornfully,  "  I  can't  tell  you  how 
low  I  should  fall  in  my  own  estimation  if  I  took  your 
money!  Money,"  she  added,  with  ringing  contempt, 
"  why,  that's  all  there  is  to  you!  It's  your  god !  Shall 
I  make  your  god  my  god?  No,  thank  you,  Mr. 
Ryder!" 

"  Am  I  as  bad  as  that?  "  he  asked  wistfully. 

"  You  are  as  bad  as  that !  "  she  answered  decisively. 

"  So  bad  that  I  contaminate  even  good  money  ?  " 
He  spoke  lightly  but  she  noticed  that  he  winced. 

"  Money  itself  is  nothing,"  replied  the  girl,  "  it's 
the  spirit  that  gives  it — the  spirit  that  receives  it, 
the  spirit  that  earns  it,  the  spirit  that  spends  it. 
Money  helps  to  create  happiness.  It  also  creates 
misery.  It's  an  engine  of  destruction  when  not  prop 
erly  used,  it  destroys  individuals  as  it  does  nations. 
It  has  destroyed  you,  for  it  has  warped  your  soul !  " 

"  Go  on,"  he  laughed  bitterly,  "  I  like  to  hear  you !  " 

"  No,  you  don't,  Mr.  Ryder,  no  you  don't,  for  deep 
down  in  your  heart  you  know  that  I  am  speaking  the 

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THE   LION& 

truth.  Money  and  the  power  it  gives  you,  has  dried 
up  the  well-spring's  of  your  heart." 

He  affected  to  be  highly  amused  at  her  words,  but 
behind  the  mask  of  callous  indifference  the  man  suf 
fered.  Her  words  seared  him  as  with  a  red  hot  iron. 
She  went  on : 

"In  the  barbaric  ages  they  fought  for  possession, 
but  they  fought  openly.  The  feudal  barons  fought  for 
what  they  stole,  but  it  was  a  fair  fight.  They  didn't 
strike  in  the  dark.  At  least,  they  gave  a  man  a  chance 
for  his  life.  But  when  you  modern  barons  of  in 
dustry  don't  like  legislation  you  destroy  it,  when  you 
don't  like  your  judges  you  remove  them,  when  a  com 
petitor  outbids  you  you  squeeze  him  out  of  commercial 
existence!  You  have  no  hearts,  you  are  machines, 
and  you  are  cowards,  for  you  fight  unfairly." 

"  It  is  not  true,  it  is  not  true,"  he  protested. 

"  It  is  true,"  she  insisted  hotly,  "  a  few  hours  ago  in 
cold  blood  you  doomed  my  father  to  what  is  certain 
death  because  you  decided  it  was  a  political  necessity. 
In  other  words  he  interfered  with  your  personal  inter 
ests — your  financial  interests — you,  with  so  many  mil 
lions  you  can't  count  them !  "  Scornfully  she  added : 
"  Come  out  into  the  light — fight  in  the  open !  At 
least,  let  him  know  who  his  enemy  is ! " 

"  Stop — stop — not  another  word,"  He  cried  im- 
392 


THE   MOUSE 

patiently,  "  you  have  diagnosed  the  disease.  What  of 
the  remedy?  Are  you  prepared  to  reconstruct  human 
nature?" 

Confronting  each  other,  their  eyes  met  and  he  re 
garded  her  without  resentment,  almost  with  tender 
ness.  He  felt  strangely  drawn  towards  this  woman 
who  had  defied  and  accused  him,  and  made  him  see 
the  world  in  a  new  light. 

"I  don't  deny,"  he  admitted  reluctantly,  "that 
things  seem  to  be  as  you  describe  them,  but  it  is  part 
of  the  process  of  evolution." 

"  No,"  she  protested,  "  it  is  the  work  of  God!  " 

"  It  is  evolution !  "  he  insisted. 

"Ah,  that's  it,"  she  retorted,  "you  evolve  new 
ideas,  new  schemes,  new  tricks — you  all  worship  dif 
ferent  gods — gods  of  your  own  making !  " 

He  was  about  to  reply  when  there  was  a  commotion 
at  the  door  and  Theresa  entered,  followed  by  a  man 
servant  to  carry  down  the  trunk. 

"  The  cab  is  downstairs,  Miss,"  said  the  maid. 

Ryder  waved  them  away  imperiously.  He  had 
something  further  to  say  which  he  did  not  care  for 
servants  to  hear.  Theresa  and  the  man  precipitately 
withdrew,  not  understanding,  but  obeying  with  alac 
rity  a  master  who  never  brooked  delay  in  the  execu- 

393 


THE   LION  & 

tion  of  his  orders.  Shirley,  indignant,  looked  to  him 
for  an  explanation. 

"  You  don't  need  them,"  he  exclaimed  with  a  quiet 
smile  in  which  was  a  shade  of  embarrassment.  "  I — I 

came  here  to  tell  you  that  I "  He  stopped  as  if 

unable  to  find  words,  while  Shirley  gazed  at  him  in 
utter  astonishment.  "  Ah,"  he  went  on  finally,  "  you 
have  made  it  very  hard  for  me  to  speak."  Again  he 
paused  and  then  with  an  effort  he  said  slowly :  "  An 
hour  ago  I  had  Senator  Roberts  on  the  long  distance 
telephone,  and  I'm  going  to  Washington.  It's  all 
right  about  your  father.  The  matter  will  be  dropped. 
You've  beaten  me.  I  acknowledge  it.  You're  the 
first  living  soul  who  ever  has  beaten  John  Burkett 
Ryder." 

Shirley  started  forward  with  a  cry  of  mingled  joy 
and  surprise.  Could  she  believe  her  ears?  Was  it 
possible  that  the  dreaded  Colossus  had  capitulated 
and  that  she  had  saved  her  father?  Had  the  forces 
of  right  and  justice  prevailed,  after  all?  Her  face 
transfigured,  radiant  she  exclaimed  breathlessly: 

"  What,  Mr.  Ryder,  you  mean  that  you  are  going 
to  help  my  father  ?  " 

"  Not  for  his  sake — for  yours,"  he  answered 
frankly. 

Shirley  hung  her  head.  In  her  moment  of  triumph, 
394 


THE   MOUSE 

she  was  sorry  for  all  the  hard  things  she  had  said 
to  this  man.  She  held  out  her  hand  to  him. 

"  Forgive  me,"  she  said  gently,  "it  was  for  my 
father.  I  had  no  faith.  I  thought  your  heart  was  of 
stone." 

Impulsively  Ryder  drew  her  to  him,  he  clasped  her 
two  hands  in  his  and  looking  down  at  her  kindly  he 
said,  awkwardly: 

"  So  it  was — so  it  was !  You  accomplished  the 
miracle.  It's  the  first  time  I've  acted  on  pure  senti 
ment.  Let  me  tell  you  something.  Good  sentiment 
is  bad  business  and  good  business  is  bad  sentiment — 
that's  why  a  rich  man  is  generally  supposed  to  have 
such  a  hard  time  getting  into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven." 
He  laughed  and  went  on,  "  I've  given  ten  millions 
apiece  to  three  universities.  Do  you  think  I'm  fool 
enough  to  suppose  I  can  buy  my  way?  But  that's  an 
other  matter.  I'm  going  to  Washington  on  behalf  of 
your  father  because  I — want  you  to  marry  my  son. 
Yes,  I  want  you  in  the  family,  close  to  us.  I  want  your 
respect,  my  girl.  I  want  your  love.  I  want  to  earn 
it.  I  know  I  can't  buy  it.  There's  a  weak  spot  in 
every  man's  armour  and  this  is  mine — I  always  want 
what  I  can't  get  and  I  can't  get  your  love  unless  I 
earn  it." 

Shirley  remained  pensive.  Her  thoughts  were  out 
395 


THE   LION  & 

on  Long  Island,  at  Massapequa.  She  was  thinking 
of  their  joy  when  they  heard  the  news — her  father, 
her  mother  and  Stott.  She  was  thinking  of  the  future, 
bright  and  glorious  with  promise  again,  now  that  the 
dark  clouds  were  passing  away.  She  thought  of  Jef 
ferson  and  a  soft  light  came  into  her  eyes  as  she 
foresaw  a  happy  wifehood  shared  with  him. 

"  Why  so  sober,"  demanded  Ryder,  "  you've  gained 
your  point,  your  father  is  to  be  restored  to  you,  you'll 
marry  the  man  you  love  ?  " 

"  I'm  so  happy !  "  murmured  Shirley.  "  I  don't 
deserve  it.  I  had  no  faith." 

Ryder  released  her  and  took  out  his  watch. 

"  I  leave  in  fifteen  minutes  for  Washington,"  he 
said.  "  Will  you  trust  me  to  go  alone?  " 

"  I  trust  you  gladly,"  she  answered  smiling  at  him. 
"  I  shall  always  be  grateful  to  you  for  letting  me 
convert  you." 

"  You  won  me  over  last  night,"  he  rejoined,  "  when 
you  put  up  that  fight  for  your  father.  I  made  up  my 
mind  that  a  girl  so  loyal  to  her  father  would  be  loyal 
to  her  husband.  You  think,"  he  went  on,  "  that  I  do 
not  love  my  son — you  are  mistaken.  I  do  love  him 
and  I  want  him  to  be  happy.  I  am  capable  of  more 
affection  than  people  think.  It  is  Wall  Street,"  he 

396 


THE   MOUSE 

added  bitterly,  "that  has  crushed  all  sentiment  out 
of  me." 

Shirley  laughed  nervously,  almost  hysterically. 

"  I  want  to  laugh  and  I  feel  like  crying,"  she  cried. 
"  What  will  Jeff  erson  say — how  happy  he  will  be !  " 

"  How  are  you  going  to  tell  him  ?  "  inquired  Ryder 
uneasily. 

"  I  shall  tell  him  that  his  dear,  good  father  has  re 
lented  and— 

"  No,  my  dear,"  he  interrupted,  "  you  will  say  noth 
ing  of  the  sort.  I  draw  the  line  at  the  dear,  good 
father  act.  I  don't  want  him  to  think  that  it  comes 
from  me  at  all." 

"  But,"  said  Shirley  puzzled,  "  I  shall  have  to  tell 
him  that  you " 

"What?"  exclaimed  Ryder,  "acknowledge  to  my 
son  that  I  was  in  the  wrong,  that  I've  seen  the  error 
of  my  ways  and  wish  to  repent?  Excuse  me,"  he 
added  grimly,  "  it's  got  to  come  from  him.  He  must 
see  the  error  of  his  ways." 

"  But  the  error  of  his  way,"  laughed  the  girl,  "  was 
falling  in  love  with  me.  I  can  never  prove  to  him  that 
that  was  wrong !  " 

The  financier  refused  to  be  convinced.  He  shook 
his  head  and  said  stubbornly: 

"  Well,  he  must  be  put  in  the  wrong  somehow  or 
397 


THE   LION  & 

other !  Why,  my  dear  child,"  he  went  on,  "  that  boy 
has  been  waiting  all  his  life  for  an  opportunity  to 
say  to  me :  *  Father,  I  knew  I  was  in  the  right,  and  I 
knew  you  were  wrong/  Can't  you  see,"  he  asked, 
"  what  a  false  position  it  places  me  in  ?  Just  picture 
his  triumph !  " 

"  He'll  be  too  happy  to  triumph,"  objected  Shirley. 

Feeling  a  little  ashamed  of  his  attitude,  he  said: 

"  I  suppose  you  think  I'm  very  obstinate."  Then,  as 
she  made  no  reply,  he  added :  "  I  wish  I  didn't  care 
what  you  thought." 

Shirley  looked  at  him  gravely  for  a  moment  and 
then  she  replied  seriously : 

"  Mr.  Ryder,  you're  a  great  man — you're  a  genius — 
your  life  is  full  of  action,  energy,  achievement.  But 
it  appears  to  be  only  the  good,  the  noble  and  the  true 
that  you  are  ashamed  of.  When  your  money  triumphs 
over  principle,  when  your  political  power  defeats  the 
ends  of  justice,  you  glory  in  your  victory.  But  when 
you  do  a  kindly,  generous,  fatherly  act,  when  you 
win  a  grand  and  noble  victory  over  yourself,  you 
are  ashamed  of  it.  It  was  a  kind,  generous 
impulse  that  has  prompted  you  to  save  my 
father  and  take  your  son  and  myself  to  your  heart. 
Why  are  you  ashamed  to  let  him  see  it?  Are  you 
afraid  he  will  love  you?  Are  you  afraid  I  shall 

398 


THE  MOUSE 

love  you?  Open  your  heart  wide  to  us — let  us  love 
you." 

Ryder,  completely  vanquished,  opened  his  arms  and 
Shirley  sprang  forward  and  embraced  him  as  she 
would  have  embraced  her  own  father.  A  solitary  tear 
coursed  down  the  financier's  cheek.  In  thirty  years 
he  had  not  felt,  or  been  touched  by,  the  emotion 
of  human  affection. 

The  door  suddenly  opened  and  Jefferson  entered. 
He  started  on  seeing  Shirley  in  his  father's  arms. 

"  Jeff,  my  boy,"  said  the  financier,  releasing  Shirley 
and  putting  her  hand  in  his  son's,  "  I've  done  some 
thing  you  couldn't  do — I've  convinced  Miss  Green — 
I  mean  Miss  Rossmore — that  we  are  not  so  bad  after 
all!" 

Jefferson,  beaming,  grasped  his  father's  hand. 

"  Father !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"That's  what  I  say— father!"  echoed  Shirley. 

They  both  embraced  the  financier  until,  overcome 
with  emotion,  Ryder,  Sr.,  struggled  to  free  himself  and 
made  his  escape  from  the  room  crying: 

"  Good-bye,  children — I'm  off  for  Washington !  " 

THE  END 


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THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


